Mark of a Goddess
by Sapphirefly
Summary: Book I Dragon's Moon. Book II Mystic Wings. Book III Mark of a Goddess. Van's back, but will Hitomi be able to keep him from doing something he will definitely regret? She wants to have a life with him that doesn't involve revenge. AU VH.
1. Cold as Stone

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne - but I did write this story.

Author's Notes: Okay, so yeah, this is the third book in the series. The first book is called 'Dragon's Moon' and the second book is called 'Mystic Wings'. If you haven't read them, and you want to read this - I would recommend that you read them first. I'm not sure if you could pick up the story this late in the game without reading the earlier books. And here's where I'll put in my own personal plug - if you read them - please review at least once at the end of each book to let me know that you read them. PLEASE big begging eyes.

And there is one more thing - this started four or five days after 'Mystic Wings' left off, but I'm starting such a wildly different plot arch that I feel no shame in starting a new book.

A special thanks before I begin for everyone who reviews and encourages me. I'm writing this for you. Please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Cold as Stone**

"Dryden was right," Van exclaimed to Hitomi as he pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. They were walking up one of the massive staircases in Dryden's mansion. Van was almost finished his two-week healing period (since his wings had ripped his back to shreds), and now, like the time he had been shot, he was almost completely recovered. He wasn't exactly bouncing up the stairs, but there was definitely a spring in his step. "I know I thought he was a jerkwad when I first met him, but he's really grown on me."

"What did he say that you're agreeing with so emphatically?" Hitomi wondered.

"Oh, just that I should take a breather, spend time with you, enjoy life a little," Van said smiling his white dazzling smile. He opened the door to their suite for Hitomi. "Mostly that I should just spend time with you; I think that was the best advice he had for me," Van said, taking Hitomi in his arms and kissing her possessively before kicking the door shut. His hands were on her waist and traveling up her back to draw her close to him. The heat from him warmed her to her toes. When the door clicked shut, Hitomi's heart skipped a beat and something turned pleasantly in her stomach. At that exact moment, Van unexpectedly let go of her and headed towards the bathroom. "It's not that I like letting Folken off the hook, but mercy, I need to relax." He pulled his shirt over his head and disappeared into the other room.

Hitomi stood alone in the bedroom, the goose bumps on her arms quickly disappearing, and she wondered why she'd been so suddenly discarded. Where did he think he was going after a kiss like that? _The jerk!_ She followed him and stood in the doorway while propping her arm up on the doorframe. She felt like tapping her fingers, but changed her mind … maybe the right look was all that was necessary to let him know that he seriously sucked – getting her all excited for nothing.

He was unrolling the bandages from his chest. He was completely absorbed in what he was doing. As soon as he was finished, he adjusted the mirrors over the vanity to see how his back was doing, but the idiot still wasn't getting the message! The marks were still there, but the wounds had completely closed now, and he chucked the used bandages into the garbage with an air of triumph. Hitomi had never seen someone go through as much gauze as Van, but at least he was okay.

"What do you think, Hitomi?" he asked her, beaming. He turned back to face the mirror so she could see between his shoulder blades. "The marks will probably be gone completely by the day after tomorrow. Are you impressed?"

"Very impressed," she said, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his torso. They were in front of the mirror and she could see his face. "Van, I have been meaning to ask you," Hitomi started. Another question had been on her mind; one she hadn't yet asked. "What were your wings like? You never described them to me."

He took her hand and kissed her palm. "They were like crow wings. They spanned wide and … well, they were enormous with black feathers. They were mostly spattered in my blood though, as even I couldn't stop bleeding. Besides, they weren't even my wings … they were Folken's. He's The Crow. If I were to ever grow dragon wings, they'd be nothing like my brother's."

"I see," Hitomi said quietly. So, he didn't like talking about it. She'd let it go.

"Anyway, the Zaibach Group wouldn't be interested in performing those kinds of experiments on you. You're symbol is not an animal, and after looking more carefully through Dryden's gallery, very few Tarot users have animals for their symbols. I keep thinking about Dornkirk. How could he be someone so powerful if he's just an inanimate object? I've thought about it and I think it's because he tricks people into believing that he's more than he is. Folken is probably more powerful than Dornkirk, but the guy blinds Folken and confuses him so that Folken doesn't realize that he really has the upper hand."

"That makes you sound as though you're on your way to forgiving your brother," Hitomi said, letting go of her 'other' feelings for a minute longer.

Van grabbed her hands and took them off of him. "You're wrong," he said sternly, moving away from the mirror and heading back into the bedroom. "I'm no closer to forgiving him than I was when I first heard what happened to my parents and the thing he tried to do with you has only compounded my feelings."

Hitomi turned quickly and followed him. "I don't know if Folken knew that we were married."

Van shook his head. "Doesn't matter – he shouldn't have pushed you into such an intimate situation, whether I had a prior claim with you or not. It's totally wrong to force things."

"Van, I have to tell you something, if you're thinking of taking revenge on him because of me, than you'd better not do it. I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

"Are you saying you _don't_ want me to go after him? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hitomi rushed to stop him from misunderstanding her. "No, it's just that when I first joined the Abaharaki, you stressed so hard that it wasn't okay to kill people and that you'd never killed anyone. Now, sometimes you say that you're going to kill Folken. Is that really okay? Did you really mean what you said back then about not killing people, or was it just … a lie?"

Van's jaw tightened and he suddenly turned and rushed Hitomi, pinning her under him on the bed. "Don't say things like that!" he whispered harshly into her ear. "You don't know what it was like to be a child, hardly in kindergarten, and being told that your parents were dead and that it was your brother's fault. You have no idea what I've been through. The little escapade with your family was obviously extremely painful for you, but you have no idea what it is to taste that kind of betrayal when you're that small and know so little about the world. You have NO CLUE!"

Hitomi put her hands up to Van and covering his cheeks she pulled him up so she could see into his eyes. "No Van," she said swiftly. "I have no idea, but that doesn't mean that I want you to become a murderer. Please think this through. Maybe there's another way."

"What 'other' way? If the police could get their hands on him then that would be one thing, but they can't. He's The Sorcerer and he can use his power to convince them that he's totally innocent. I finally figured out that that is how he's evaded the police all this time – he tricks them. Back when I was in the Abaharaki, I often wondered why he never got arrested or even suspected considering all the crap he'd got his finger into, and that's how. I never imagined someone's abilities could help them do something like that."

"So, you believe me now about what happened in his office?" Hitomi asked, thinking of the time Folken sang to her.

Van looked at Hitomi and smiled weakly. "You're too sincere to lie to me about something like that."

Hitomi was still thinking about that kiss Van had given her when they came in, and she was trying to steer the conversation to a point where it stopped, but Van didn't seem to be getting the hint, even though he was lying on top of her. She ran a hand down his bare back and reached up to kiss him when he suddenly started talking again.

"So, if the police can't punish him then who's going to? He just hurts people. He's too involved with criminal activity to …"

"Van!" Hitomi suddenly shouted. She was going to lose her mind.

"What?" he asked, looking around them to make sure he wasn't hurting her.

She took his face in her hand and brought his face close to hers. He was so dense. "Shut up!" she said, right before she kissed him. "You need to relax – so relax already."

When she kissed him again he didn't seem so dense. In fact, he seemed faster on the uptake and was quickly maneuvering her deeper onto the bed and resting her head down on the pillows like an experienced lover. He kissed her adoringly with such heat – it was like he left little hot marks on every part of her flesh that he touched.

Then suddenly, with no warning at all, there was a splitting pain through the top of Hitomi's skull. It felt like Van had hit her violently on the head. Why had he hit her? Hitomi screamed and moved to cover her head with her hands, but there was no strength in her arms. She tried to open her eyes, but when they finally came open her vision was black. She forced herself to keep her eyes open though and what she saw was amazing.

For some reason she was lying on the carpet in an air-conditioned room and she was looking at something clenched in her hand. It was a necklace with a massive yellow and black stone set in a heavy silver setting. There was shattered glass on the salmon coloured carpet, but Hitomi didn't care, she was shivering and she wasn't able to stop.

Then all of a sudden, everything went black again and Hitomi was aware of an intense pain in her head, except not where she'd been hurt – it was her forehead that hurt now. Her vision was coming into focus and now she saw that she was being pulled away from a cracked and broken display case, but her eyes couldn't focus on it somehow and instead she pulled whatever was in her hand to her eyes before she focused. It was a white sparkly stone and it was huge. But Hitomi was confused; she hadn't been holding anything like that in her fingers.

Her sight went black again and when she blinked her eyes the ceiling was that of her bedroom. What? She rubbed her head and sat up. Van wasn't even on the bed. Had he hit her and taken off? What the heck? She moved to get off the bed when she saw him. It looked like he had fallen off the end of the bed and hit his head on the desk chair that was there. He was rubbing his ear like he was just as hurt as Hitomi.

It was then that she really clued into what truly happened. The pain in her head had knocked the sense right out of her. She had a spasm and hit her head on the headboard. She had just witnessed a Tarot vision. Two people had just gotten their symbols – at least that's what she thought it was.

"Are you okay?" she asked Van.

He was rubbing his hands. "I can't believe I hit both of my hands on the bed posts as well as my head on this freaking chair. I have such bad luck. Are you okay? Were you safe on the bed?"

Hitomi pointed to her hurt spot. "I hit my head on the headboard. Do you think we'll have goose eggs?"

"I think we're lucky if we don't have concussions. My hands hurt like hell. I fell backwards off the bed."

"Do you think we should go to the hospital?" she asked, still holding her hand over the throbbing pain in her crown.

"If you can walk in a straight line, then it's probably not a good idea. Besides, if we went, they'd probably think I bashed you up."

Hitomi swallowed. That was what she first thought too. Well, she'd never make that mistake twice. Even with the pain in her head, she was happy that she had finally had a vision.

Van stood up and said, "I'm okay. Let's go talk to Dryden. I want to hear what he has to say about these visions." Van walked into the bathroom and put on his shirt back on. "And to make sure he's okay. I hope he wasn't with Selphie by the pool. That could be really dangerous."

Hitomi gave him a sad look when he came back into the room – her eyes were watering. "It hurts!"

Van came up to her and put his arms around her. "I know it hurts. I hurt my hand back when you got your symbol, too. It seems that being a Tarot user is never easy. Do you want to rest here while I go check on Dryden?"

"No," Hitomi whined, getting off the bed and going with him.

As soon as they came out of the bedroom, they heard Dryden and Selphie disagreeing heatedly in Italian. The sound was coming from Dryden's bedroom, but the door was wide open, so Hitomi and Van approached just to double check that Dryden hadn't seriously hurt himself.

They walked in on a sight they had not expected.

Dryden was standing at his dresser, furiously emptying the drawers into a massive suitcase. Selphie was coming out of the bathroom, her glowing hair falling behind her like a mermaid. She was carrying more hygiene products than Hitomi thought proper for a man to own. Selphie and Dryden didn't share a bedroom, so ALL those things had to be Dryden's. After Selphie dumped her load on Dryden's bed, he said something to her and she went out into the hallway, saying something very quickly in Italian. They didn't seem like they were mad at each other.

Once she was gone, Dryden turned to Van and Hitomi. "I'm sorry," he said breathlessly. "I have to go."

"Go where?" Van asked. "You didn't hurt yourself when you had the vision, did you?"

"No, I'm fine. I was reading on the couch when it happened. I fell on the floor – that was as serious as it was. How about you two?"

Van observed Dryden's bedroom and then made a couple sarcastic remarks. "Hey Dryden, I notice that your bed doesn't have bed posts. There wouldn't be a reason for that, now would there?"

"Oh dear," Dryden said. "You didn't …"

Van showed Dryden the red swollen backs of his hands. "Oh yes, I did."

But the only thing Dryden had to say was, "Those look bad. I'm really sorry, but I've got to go."

"Why are you rushing like a maniac?" Hitomi interjected, unconsciously organizing the clothes in Dryden's suitcase into piles.

"That vision we had just now. The Historian has just died and passed her power onto her twin daughters – Naria and Eriya. I told you a bit about them before, didn't I? Well, they're in love with me and they both want to marry me, and the only reason they don't live permanently around my neck is that my mother convinced them to leave me alone until they got their Tarot abilities. Well, now that they've got them, they'll waste no time in coming here and demanding that I choose between them."

"So, why don't you just tell them that you're not interested?" Van asked, leaning against the wall.

"Sure, that would be easy for _you_ to do. It's not easy for me. They show up, look sexy, hang all over me and I'll promptly lose my mind. I have such a hard time telling them to back off as it is, but if I'm serious about Selphie then I've got to show her. And that means not being here when they show up. That way I won't even be tempted," Dryden said while he zipped the first bag shut.

"I think Selphie would be more impressed if they were around and you still showed preference to her," Hitomi said. "It would be like the ultimate expression of love."

Dryden shook his head. "It would be very nice if that sort of thing would work, but Naria and Eriya are Tarot users who know they have a limited choice in men, and to get a husband like me would be the best thing for them. They're even older than me by two years, but when they heard about me and my symbol from their mother, they both decided that I was the only one for them. One of the reasons my mother used to fob them off was the hope that only one of them would get a Tarot symbol and then the choice would be obvious, but now it seems that both of them got one. Crap! I've got to get out of here. They could be here any minute."

"Wait one second," Hitomi interrupted. "If their mother just died, then why aren't they off mourning her? Why would they show up on your front door when they are in the grieving process? What I mean is, shouldn't they be somewhere crying?"

"Sorry Hitomi. It's heartless, but most Tarot users don't really care about that sort of thing. The death of the older generation is viewed as a good thing. We don't exactly get choked up when our parents die. It's a really exciting thing to get your symbol. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Don't rush like this! They won't be here right away and Van and I have so much we want to ask you. Please explain their symbols before you go!" Hitomi pleaded.

Here, Dryden stopped his packing rampage and looked at Hitomi. "Okay, you've got me there. I'll explain, but before I do that I want to say clearly that even though I plan to leave, you two may stay here as long as you like. I'll leave you in charge of my servants and you can read my books on Tarot users and practice in the training gym all you want."

"Training gym?" Van and Hitomi repeated together.

"Yeah, this is a mansion that was built by a Tarot user family – naturally there's a place to practice. You're my guests here, so please stay as long as you like. You'd be safer here than any other place. Anyway," Dryden said, sitting down in a nearby chair. "It looked to me that Naria and Eriya happened to be in a jewelry store when their mother died. So, both of them got jewels as their symbols."

"That isn't such a big deal, is it?" Van asked.

Dryden answered coolly, "You mean power-wise? Don't worry Ace of Serpents – if you're worried about anyone challenging you, just look to your wife. Once you're perfectly trained – you'll be unmatchable. But don't even think of underestimating them because of the whole inanimate object category – gem stones are powerful in their own way and guessed to be a subcategory higher than plants, because gems have a different kind of life in them. There haven't been any users thus far, so those two girls are probably celebrating their good fortune. That is, if they aren't on their way here."

"What were the gems? I didn't recognize either of them," Hitomi said. "They weren't diamonds or emeralds. They were weird. Are you sure they were real?"

"I'm pretty sure the first vision was Naria and that the stone she saw was amber, and I think it was Eriya who saw the opal. She's the one who cracked the display case with her head." Dryden touched his forehead with his fingers to express his exasperation, "Amber and opal? Who knows what mystical power they pulled off those? Oh man, I've got to get out of here."

"So, that's it? They're magical Tarot users?" Van asked, not letting Dryden's brain revert back to escaping.

"Yeah."

"What elements are they going to have?" Van said, leaving his post on the wall and practically cornering Dryden for the information.

"How the hell should I know?" Dryden snapped, getting out of the chair and getting Van to back off a couple of steps. "Not everyone is your enemy, you know. There's no need to get all angsty. They're just young woman in their twenties who, apparently, think a lot about shopping. As long as you don't ask Hitomi to keep your contract with her a secret anymore, you won't have any trouble with them. I'm the one who's got to split," Dryden said. Then he zipped up his suitcase and called on the intercom for his chauffer to pick up his and Selphie's bags and to take them to a car. "I've got to go have a word with my housekeeper about you two and then Selphie and I are leaving immediately. Van, stop being an ass and come with me downstairs; I'll give you the codes so you and Hitomi can enter the west wing of the mansion."

Van frowned, but followed Dryden out of the room and down the massive stairs that led into the great hall. Hitomi got up and followed them, too.

"I'll give you a quick tour, so you'll know where to find everything that might be helpful. I know you …"

At this exact moment, the doorbell rang.

Dryden stopped on the stairs so suddenly that Hitomi bumped into him.

"Hey," she said, but Dryden wasn't looking at her, he was looking squarely at the front door.

Naria and Eriya couldn't be there already, could they? They had just had their vision. Were they even in the same city?

The maid bowed and opened the door.

Who could it be?

* * *

Author's Notes: Thanks to Kaytala who has very generously agreed to beta read 'Mark of a Goddess'. She has been with me since 'Dragon's Moon' and has been an absolute trooper. I'm such a demanding bag and she puts up with me and actually acts like she's enjoying herself - practically a saint. And thanks to everyone who reads and reviews - you guys rock my world! I've opened the forum for chapter one and also made it accessible through the Escaflowne forums page. Hope that helps everyone out. If you can't access the forums because you haven't got an account - get an account and come chat it up with us. Kay? 

Next, actual author's notes - the name of the chapter is taken from an A-ha song called 'Cold as Stone'. If you're interested, the lyrics are interesting and oddly appropriate, maybe in a way that only I would understand, maybe not. Depends on your view of Naria and Eriya. 

* * *


	2. Deer in the Headlights

Author's Notes: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Deer in the Headlights**

The maid swung the door open. For a split second Dryden looked exactly like a deer in the headlights of his own SUV. His worst fears had obviously come true as the door opened to show two young women standing in the warm light of the porch. Even at a glance Hitomi could tell that they were very beautiful. One had dark golden hair and the other was the palest of blondes. Their eyes tilted up delightfully in the corners and made their smiles appear even brighter. They were the same height and body type – definitely twins.

"Merry Christmas Dryden!" both of them called out together when they saw Dryden standing on the stairs.

For a second, Hitomi wasn't sure how Dryden was going to react. His eyes were still wide and the expression on his face was one of pure horror. Then he flipped his face, exactly the way a gambler would flip a coin. He welcomed the two girls into his home so graciously that it would be impossible for them to guess that he was on the verge of making a speedy getaway. "Naria, Eriya – how pleasant to see you. I see Christmas has come early this year. It's only just November." He went down the stairs and took the girls' coats himself. They fluttered and blushed like they were a pair of white peonies that turned pink when he touched them.

Van whispered into Hitomi's ear, "And I used to think Allen was smooth."

"I'm still mad at him," Hitomi rasped back.

Van laughed.

"Naria, Eriya, I'd like to introduce you to The Goddess of the Moon and the Ace of Serpents," Dryden said, inviting the two women further into the hall.

"Van and Hitomi Fanel," Van said, shaking hands with Eriya, the girl with darker hair.

But Hitomi gulped and stared. These were the first people Van had actually told that they were married. He had said that he would, but it still seemed strange coming from him. Hitomi blinked and tried to be calm. She shook hands and listened intently to what they had to say.

"We're the Deuce of Stones. Isn't that right, Naria?" Eriya said, putting her arm around her sister.

Naria nodded. The two girls seemed to have the same attitude.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother," Dryden said, seeming to want to bring the twins down a bit from their high.

Naria laughed. "Oh, it wasn't our mother who died, it was our father."

"Ah," Dryden said, an unusual look of comprehension dawning his features.

"Don't say his name!" Eriya said reproachfully. "If you do, I'll kill you," she continued, still laughing like it was all part of the fun.

Even though this meeting seemed almost like a reunion, there was something about the girls that unsettled Hitomi. They seemed sort of vicious. They didn't seem to care that their own father had died. How cruel!

"You see," Naria continued. "Our mother knew he was ill so she phoned us and told us to hotfoot it down here so that when we received our powers, you would be nearby to train us. Clever of her, wasn't it?"

"Very," Dryden agreed, his eyes looking strangely dark.

"Is your head okay?" Hitomi suddenly asked Naria. "You banged it just now on the glass, didn't you?"

Naria touched her head lightly; there were a couple of band-aids on her forehead that were artfully covered by her bangs. No one would have noticed if Hitomi hadn't brought it up. "Just a little cut. You are a sweetheart for being concerned though, aren't you?" Then she squeezed Hitomi's hand.

Hitomi felt immediately patronised. Sure, they were older than her by nearly ten years, but Hitomi didn't like being looked down on like that. It made her feel rebellious and angry.

"And you're the Ace of Serpents?" Naria asked, turning her attention from Hitomi to Van with catlike swiftness. It was like she didn't care at all that Hitomi was standing right there. The woman was like a predator. "You'll have to tell us the story of how you got that symbol over dinner?" her tone was extremely intimate, and the other twin – Eriya – her hand was on Van's shoulder.

Hitomi swiftly knocked Eriya's hand away. It was a reaction like looking up when someone shouts for you to duck. Hitomi didn't even think before she acted. "It's unhealthy to hit on contract bound Tarot users," she said, tripping over her words when she realized she had actually just slapped the other girl. Hitomi knew it was inappropriate, but she wasn't going to be pushed around by these girls who had just traipsed onto the scene. However, even though she felt like she was in the right, she still couldn't help blushing like mad.

Van put a hand on Hitomi's back to steady her, but Hitomi didn't have the nerve to look at his face.

Both girls took a long step away from Van at exactly the same time, while Dryden laughed callously in the background. "Hitomi, you rock my world!" he hooted as he brought Eriya under one arm and Naria under the other. "Don't be too overconfident," he told the twins. "Now apologize."

"I'm sorry," Eriya said, looking dutifully embarrassed and red around the gills. "I thought you were his kid sister."

Hitomi's bottom lip couldn't have been any fatter if she'd just been hit. She wasn't a little kid and she hated being treated like a child, which was how everyone treated her when they met her these days. She slipped her hand into Van's and tried to look like she was experienced enough to be with a guy like him. His face showed no embarrassment at the situation and he clasped Hitomi's hand tightly, lacing their fingers together, when she touched him.

"Hitomi's real last name is Kanzaki. That's what I used to call her, but alas … it seems that Van just announced that she's taking his last name. A real pity! Now I don't know what to call her. Anyway, girls, don't judge Hitomi by her looks," Dryden was saying in her defence. Hitomi guessed that he had a good idea of how she felt.

"Do you have a brother?" Naria asked Van flirtatiously.

Van hadn't betrayed any particular emotion during the conversation. He looked like the girls didn't affect him in one way or another. Well, maybe he was a little annoyed. Hitomi guessed that it really wasn't his thing to be treated like a piece of male meat. At least, not by older woman who were only interested in him because of his abilities – that sort of thing would sicken him even if he wasn't married. But at the mention of Folken, his jaw ground together and he gave them the coldest expression known to man … or at least - known to Van. "Watch yourself," he said, when his ice-cold stare had frozen every good feeling out of the room. "And don't be too overanxious to bind yourself to a Tarot user that you don't pay attention to what sort of person he is. You'll get burned if you live like that."

"Scary," Eriya said, cuddling closer to Dryden.

"Anyway," Dryden said, pulling Eriya and Naria near and whispering as though he was telling them a great secret. "You two should be excited. You're looking at two extraordinary Tarot users. Try to be polite. You could probably learn a lot from them. Anyway," Dryden said, letting go of them and heading towards the front door. "What time is it? Four o'clock? What hotel are you girls staying at?"

"The …"

"Why don't you give up your rooms there and stay with us? I promised I'd help with your training and since the weather is so gross, there's nowhere else in the city to train except in my training gym, and no where else to study but in my libraries. So why don't you give up your rooms and come here?"

"Oh Dryden," Eriya said, clasping her hands together and looking extremely happy.

"That's a 'yes'?" he asked.

"Of course," Naria exclaimed. "Of course we'd rather stay with you."

"Excellent," he said, looking like a pleased host. "If you'll run and get your bags we could all have dinner together here, say, at around seven? But, you'll have to get going. That doesn't leave you with a lot of time to get ready. I know how you two like to put on a show."

Neither girl needed any encouragement after that. Both of them were out the door in less than five minutes.

As the door closed behind them, Hitomi expected Dryden to go shooting like a rocket ship into the garage to make his escape with Selphie, but instead he was leaning against the heavy wooden door like he was bracing himself.

"What are you doing?" Hitomi demanded. "Now's not the time to lose confidence. Get moving. You can probably make it to the airport before they get back."

Dryden sighed and then stood up tall and eyed Hitomi. His brown eyes were laced in determination, like he was about to fight an invisible enemy. "Hitomi, you don't understand me. I can't leave now that I've seen them. I _did_ promise their mother that I would help train them when they got their abilities and I must do it. I wanted to run away and if I hadn't met them, I would have done it. But now … I have to fulfill my promise. It's the price I have to pay for them leaving me alone for all those years. That was the deal. They left me alone until they got their abilities, and I agreed to train them after it happened. It probably won't be as bad as I've imagined since you and Van will be here too. It's not like I'll be alone with them. I was going to train you and Van anyway as soon as Van was healed, and now I can train all four of you together. We'll go through the exercises to discover what elements they have."

"Didn't you say that you wanted to be gone because if you weren't, you'd be tempted by them?" Van asked.

"Yeah, I did," Dryden said. "I wanted to do this the easy way, but now I see that there isn't an easy way. I have to prove that I've changed and that I'm not as easily swayed as I used to be. I have to fight my fate. I became The Lover, but now I have to prove that I can use my talents for the best, and that I can resist the urge to jump down the pants of any girl who's willing. Van, you and Hitomi will help me so that I'm not alone with them after this, won't you?"

Van looked deeply concerned. "If that's what you need."

"I think I'll be okay as long as I'm not alone with them. If I'm alone with them, they could try something on me that might screw me up. But this is really my chance. I'd better not blow it." Dryden shook his head, and headed up the stairs. "I've got to go talk to Selphie, my housekeeper and the chauffer. I'll have someone call you when it's time for dinner."

At the mention of 'dinner', something in Hitomi's head twitched. "Wait, Dryden!" Hitomi called up to him. "What did you mean when you said that Naria and Eriya like to put on a show?"

"Oh, just that they'll probably want to dress up for dinner," Dryden said looking over the banister at Hitomi from the top of the stairs. "It was a convenient way to get them out of here quicker, but they're rich girls and they like to go all out during occasions like this. If you're nervous, you'd better find something to wear too." With that, Dryden disappeared into the upstairs hallway.

Hitomi wrinkled her eyebrows together. "He's not serious? Is he? We've never dressed up for meals before."

Van put a hand on his hip. "Do you have anything to wear?"

Hitomi shook her head, "Nuh-ah. I mean, I have clothes but nothing that would be appropriate. I have my wedding dress, but that's really just something for you."

"Is there enough time to go shopping?" he said, looking around for a clock.

"I don't think so," Hitomi said, thinking furiously. "I know! Maybe Selphie has something I can borrow."

"Sure," Van said, grabbing her and kissing her suddenly.

"What was that for?" Hitomi asked when he let her go.

"Oh, I just thought about you in your wedding dress and the big black boots you wore under it."

"It won't be like that tonight."

"I know, but … don't let those girls push you around. Okay?"

Hitomi nodded. "I love you, Van."

"Better go get ready," he said, brushing off her shoulders and setting her free.

Hitomi left Van and went upstairs to Selphie's room. The door was shut and she could hear Dryden and Selphie talking inside. She thought it better not to interrupt them just now and decided to go have a shower before she talked to Selphie.

When Hitomi got out of the shower, she went back to Selphie's room to see if she could talk to her. Selphie was standing in her walk-in closet, hanging the clothes she'd packed back up. Hitomi invited herself in and started helping her. Even though Hitomi was trying to be subtle, she thought it was totally obvious that she was checking Selphie out. Hitomi decided that she didn't have a figure as good as Selphie's but at least they were similar in height, so Hitomi thought she'd probably be okay if Selphie would lend her a dress.

Hitomi tried to talk to her about it. "Would it be okay if I borrowed a dress from you for tonight?"

Selphie looked at her like she didn't understand and Hitomi knew she was going about it the wrong way. "A dress?" she started out again, hoping Selphie understood that much English.

Selphie shook her head, but linked arms with Hitomi and led her out of the room and down to Dryden's suite where he was talking on the phone. "Mother, they just showed up!" When Selphie and Hitomi came in, he halted his conversation with his mother by saying, "One second, Mom. What is it?" he asked Selphie and Hitomi. Obviously, he was a man who put his woman's needs first.

Hitomi explained that she had been asking Selphie if she could borrow a dress from her for dinner.

Dryden's smile was definitely amused. "Let the competition begin, eh?" Then he translated it into Italian for Selphie, after which Hitomi and Selphie got along swimmingly.

Hitomi didn't know what kind of person Selphie had been back in Italy, but she must have been someone pretty spectacular, because everything in her wardrobe was fantastic. Hitomi was certain they'd blow Naria and Eriya out of the water with whatever they went with.

Selphie made Hitomi try on everything to see how it fit and how the colour worked on her. There were so many great pieces. There was one thing, though – Selphie stared at Hitomi's moon tattoo quite hard, like something was coming into focus for her.

Finally, Selphie brought a dress from the back. It was a pale cream off-the-shoulder that could be worn with two racer-back straps. Hitomi stared at it. It was like her dream dress. Where could such a thing even be purchased? When she tried it on, she saw that her moon tattoo was mostly covered. If she still had the dragon part of it – the dragon's tail would have been visible.

Selphie kissed her on both cheeks, and said something … Hitomi didn't know what, but she got the hint that this was the dress for her. But Selphie didn't let her leave to do her hair until she gave her the shoes to match.

If Hitomi didn't put up a good fight in this dress, then it simply couldn't be done.

"Dryden! Do you have any idea what elemental powers we have?" Naria asked, wearing a floor length white dress. Hitomi couldn't tell if the girl was trying to look like a bride. As it was, her eyes shone so intensely blue that Hitomi was always conscious of where she was looking. The opal Hitomi had seen in her vision was draped around Naria's neck like a medallion.

Eriya sat across from Hitomi, dressed completely in black, her blonde hair brushing her shoulders. She was also wearing her stone, amber, as a necklace. She was the most colourful thing Hitomi had ever seen. So lovely … both of them were so lovely.

Selphie was there, too, looking like the very blossom of womanhood. Selphie was built like … the female version of Allen. Even though Hitomi was jealous of Eriya and Naria for being so beautiful, to be jealous of Selphie seemed ridiculous. She seemed to represent a kind of beauty that wasn't even realistic. No wonder Dryden preferred her to other women.

Then there was her, Hitomi. She felt like she might as well not have done anything to make herself look special for all the good it did her. She was nothing compared to the other girls. A goddess? Yeah right. She wanted to run from the room in tears. She felt like a stupid kid. She was only eighteen and seeing these women sporting their charms was almost too much for her.

Van was looking at Dryden and paying attention to the conversation. They were talking about Tarot abilities, after all, so he would be interested. He wasn't neglecting her, though. He had complimented her extensively on her appearance before they left their bedroom. He had even pinned her against the bedroom wall and asked her to forget dinner entirely. He said he didn't need to eat. Her zipper was half way undone before she managed to get away from him. Pouting wasn't Van's style, but he looked perfectly unsatisfied as he pulled a black sweater over his head. The colour of it made his hair look like an even richer black, Hitomi thought as they sat at the dinner table.

If she'd realized how foolish she was going to feel picking at the escargot that was served, she would have let him call to say they wouldn't be coming. But even so, there was something in her that didn't want him to touch her. He was better looking for a guy than she was for a girl – especially when she was compared to these women.

It was bad manners, but Dryden had one of his books with him at the table. "Elemental abilities have an emotion and a physical action attached to each one of them. The physical act is the thing that the user does to activate the element. The emotion, or personal characteristic, is an attribute that the user naturally gets without any particular effort."

"Is it okay to explain in front of _her_?" Eriya asked, looking squarely at Selphie. The two girls had clued in that she was with Dryden and both of them looked hostile.

"It's okay," Dryden reassured her. "She doesn't speak English. Now, I'll go over all the elements and their corresponding attributes and physical actions. It'll just be a review to get you all thinking before our training starts."

Hitomi approved of Dryden's way of making it look like Van and Hitomi were as informed as Naria and Eriya, but she was still uncomfortable. She wanted to leave, but she sat still and forced herself to listen to Dryden's narrative.

"Feel free to ask me questions if something comes to mind," Dryden said over his glasses. "We'll start with air – the most common of all elements. To use air a person must relax their muscles and force themselves to become light. This can be challenging if a person is exercising or exerting their muscles and the easiest way to use it is to stand perfectly still. I'm sure you two are aware of the uses of air," he said, looking at Naria and Eriya.

Here, Hitomi almost forgot to feel sorry for herself. He was referring to the way Balgus had thrown their mother out on by her ear. She almost giggled.

Neither of the twins batted an eyelash, though. They both acted like they were just listening to a teacher lecture. Was it because they weren't ashamed that their mother had been so pushy, or did they not understand the reference? Hitomi wasn't sure.

"The ability attached to it is flexibility," Dryden continued. "Next, we'll do earth. The physical act is smell and the attribute or in this case, vice, is obsession. People with earth as an element tend to be obsessive."

"That's true," Van said, looking uninterestedly at the floor.

"Are you saying you get obsessed with things?" Dryden asked, looking amused.

"You know I do, so just get on with your explanation," Van said impatiently.

"Ah, but it's more interesting to hear you talk about it, especially if you were to talk about your own experiences. What's an example of something you've gone a little obsessive over?"

"You're this close," Van warned, holding his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

Dryden didn't let Van finish the threat that was obviously coming. "So, with that introduction, we'll talk about fire. Van's trigger-happy you see," he said to Naria and Eriya. "But he's also the perfect person to explain everything there is to know about elemental abilities."

"Why's that?" Naria asked.

"Because, it's believed that he has all of them," Dryden said, looking wicked.

"Really?" the twins exclaimed, both seeming incredibly impressed.

Dryden laughed. "Didn't you two listen to anything your mother taught you? I'm shocked!"

"We were waiting for you to teach us," Eriya said quietly. Then she glanced at Selphie before encouraging Dryden to go on.

He didn't hesitate and barrelled into his description, "Fire is charged by a person's breath and lungs. The attribute is temper, which explains Van's urge to get his gun off. So don't piss him off, girls. Now lightning. Lightning is sparked by the nervous system and is associated with the attributes of bravery and speed. Of course, all these abilities can be used in a variety of ways. You'll learn to use them to your advantage as you go on. Now we'll talk about ice. Ice is controlled by a person's heartbeat, and the ability is self-control. There aren't very many Tarot users who have ice as an element. We're a pretty unruly bunch. Then there's water."

"That's yours, isn't it?" Naria injected.

"Yes. That's mine. Water is associated with tranquility, and the ability is wisdom. But, I want to make it very clear that clarity of thought is not necessarily a good thing. There's no virtue in this kind of tranquility. It's merely a state a mind. Evil people and good people can both have it. Like I said, wisdom is the attribute. Now we'll talk about light and darkness."

"I always wanted to meet someone who had darkness. I thought they'd make a good lover," Naria said. Hitomi wasn't sure if she said so to try to tease Dryden.

"They probably would," Dryden said, sounding like a professor at a university instead of like an interested party. He was trying hard not to be pulled in by the girls. "Better ask Van and Hitomi here if that's any fun. Both of them have darkness as one of their elements."

"Please don't bring that to anyone's attention again!" Van said, sharply intervening. "The last thing we want is people wondering what we're … like. It's no one's business!"

"Of course, of course," Dryden said moving on with the scientific explanation. "The physical action that goes with darkness is thirst and the vice is desire. That might sound similar to obsession, but it's not the same at all. A person can be obsessed with anything, but this is more like love. Remember The Whore? Yeah, it's like that."

"I don't remember that story," Eriya said. "Please retell it."

When Dryden was finished, he went on with the narrative about elemental abilities. "Lastly, we have light. The physical action is not actually physical, but spiritual. It's serenity of conscience. If you live at peace with yourself and everyone around you without causing wrong, then you might be able to pull off this element, but it takes a lot of introspection to be able to pull it off. It's considered to be the most difficult element to summon, which is why The Sun God is so amazing. And the ability that comes with it, that doesn't require any work to receive, is charisma. Hope you all found that very edifying," Dryden said, shutting the book and taking off his glasses.

A little after this, Hitomi got up and excused herself. It seemed that the dessert and coffee were the only parts of the meal left. Hitomi didn't drink coffee and she had no appetite for dessert. She was still feeling bad and she wanted to be alone. Van asked her if she wanted him to come with her, but she shook her head saying that she didn't need him. It was still early.

When she got back to her room she took the pins out of her hair and tied her curled hair into a ponytail. The pins had been hurting her. Then she left the bedroom and headed for the conservatory. She didn't have to go near the dining room to get to it, so that was where she was heading. She was frustrated and she needed to move her body so that she would be reminded of the usefulness of it, no matter what it looked like. She could pace there.

Van's voice stopped her before she made it to the end of the hall. "Stop right there," he said, following her.

"What do you want?" Hitomi asked, still sort of irritated with him, even though it wasn't his fault.

"Are you mad at me? You've been acting funny all night," he asked seriously.

"Yeah, I'm mad at you," Hitomi admitted and turned her back on him.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's not your problem. I shouldn't even be mad at you. I'm being unreasonable and I don't care. Sitting at dinner with those women just reminded me of everything I'm not, and apparently everything I'm never going to be. I'm never going to grow up. Not really. Before, when I was thinking about having to stay a fifteen-year-old forever, I thought I could deal with it. I thought I looked old enough to pass for an adult. After spending these last two hours with those women, I'm totally convinced that I'll never pass for a person older than a high school student, ever! And to top everything off, I'm not even cute for a freaking teenager," Hitomi snapped. Then she managed to take a breath and say, "I shouldn't be lashing out at you. It's not your fault."

Van looked … unprotected. "Come into the bedroom. Let's not talk out here."

Hitomi went with him, but as she stepped through the door she felt trapped and hot, even though her dress was so open. He closed the door and sat her down on the bed.

"I've been waiting for this conversation. At first, when you found out that you weren't going to age and you weren't going to die, you almost seemed proud of it. I know Dryden thinks you're practically cursed. I didn't believe you at first, but … yeah, now that I think about it more objectively, I'm sure that it's the truth, too. I haven't aged properly either. I still can't grow a full beard and it's in my genes to be able to do it. You should have seen my father, but I'm still as smooth as a teenager. So, I age slower and in three hundred years, when I've finally turned into an old man, I'll have you on my arm and I'll look like a perverted step-dad. That's definitely something to look forward to."

Hitomi laughed, but she didn't feel like it was funny. "That's really comforting."

"It's not exactly meant to be comforting, but what I mean is that I'm here and I've got similar problems. We're in this together."

"I know," Hitomi said. She felt like he was stating the obvious and it wasn't consoling her.

"Do you feel better?"

"No," she admitted, letting herself fall backwards onto the bedspread.

Van got down on one knee and took one of her feet in his hands. The shoes Selphie had lent her were wedge heels with ribbons that raced up to her knee. The dress had a short skirt to make the most of eye-catching shoes. His hands were warm as he rubbed her ankle. Hitomi couldn't figure out what he was doing for a second, and then she realized he was undoing the bow with his teeth.

She couldn't help but giggle.

He pulled off shoe number one and threw it to the other side of the room so it hit the wall with a thud. Then he took her foot in his hands and started rubbing the arch with his thumb. "Was it because of their curves?" he asked suddenly. "Is that why you're feeling insecure?"

Hitomi remembered the way Eriya filled out her dress. "Maybe that had something to do with it."

His voice was as smooth as silk and as deep as black velvet. "Do you think that's all a man looks for when he's choosing a woman?"

"No, but …"

"But what? I'm sorry, but that's not all there is to it. The most beautiful woman in the world isn't going to be beautiful to everyone. Like Naria and Eriya – you think they're beautiful. I think they stick their noses up too high. They weren't attractive to me at all. And Selphie – that is one extremely confused, extremely lost woman. Her brain is a maze of inner torment and self-doubt. I wonder what she's doing here with Dryden. He says that she hasn't agreed to marry him yet, but I don't think he's asked her. You may not have noticed it, but tonight, she was more messed up than you. At least you know how the conversation was going. She couldn't understand it and just stared at her plate."

"I didn't notice," Hitomi confessed.

His teeth were at her the ribbons on the other leg. He tossed that shoe to meet its mate and began rubbing her heel. His hands were warm and he was touching her nerves just right to help her relax.

It was a moment before either of them said anything, but finally Van said, "I was attracted to _you_ - a girl who wasn't afraid to dance hard if she felt like it, but who didn't go over the top. You didn't do unnecessarily wild things. You weren't afraid to cut your hair short and show off what a lovely throat you have. You said Dilandau went for your neck when you danced with him at the club – I'm disgusted that he did it, but that's why. You weren't afraid to out-perform a guy if you could, and you weren't afraid to get involved with me when I was obviously bad news. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Back at the club, when I was only watching you, you just seemed like the kind of girl who laughed in all the right places, who sang the loudest during the good parts of the song, who drank the right drinks, and knew how to pick the best out of everything. But the way I'm interested in you isn't for your body or your looks. I would be disappointed in you if you were satisfied with me for liking you for something so trivial. Although, I have to admit that I love your body, your looks, your style, your mind and … you," he paused. "Turn on your stomach and I'll give you a backrub."

She turned over and he unzipped her dress. "You were just looking for an excuse," she said, breathing deeply and letting herself be taken care of by him.

"Sorry if it's exciting for me to touch you. Be a good girl and let me help you," he said. Then he suddenly lay next to her on the bed and brought his face close to hers. "I'm sorry if I didn't do a good job showing how much I care for you at dinner. I get so focussed on one thing sometimes that I forget that you need me too. Oh, and in case I forgot to tell you – you looked ravishing tonight."

* * *

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for reviewing for the last chapter. I was really surprised and thankful that so many people took the time to comment. It was really great. I felt SO special. Special thanks to Kaytala for taking the time to beta read for me. 

I fixed the forum, so now the 'Mark of a Goddess' forum is in the Escaflowne section and the old 'Mystic Wings' forum is only accessable through my profile. But even though the MoaG forum is available through the Escaflowne category, it is also still available though my profile. Thanks to everyone who comes and contributes. You guys rock my world and make me smile!

I'm also going to take the time to say that this chapter was my last chance to get mushy with Van and Hitomi before we get into the hardcore plot. Not that there won't be romance in future chapters, but ... I think you guys know what to expect from me by now if you've been hanging out since DM. This was supposed to be a date chapter - not unlike the opening of Mystic Wings - but a darker shade of romance than what we've had before. Anyway, I think I suck at writing romance since the best idea I could come up with was for him to slam her against the wall. Alas, curse my folly. I feel like a dweeb, but I honestly tried hard to do this well since it's my last introductory chapter before we dip the strawberries into the chocolate (get into the main portion of the plot). But if you like romance and have an opinion as to how it's properly executed, then please leave a detailed comment about the romantic aspects of this chapter. I really want to improve and I feel like I suck at writing romance.

Anyway, my forum should be open by now. Cheers!


	3. The West Wing

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I'm just getting a good contact buzz off someone else's ideas.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**The West Wing**

Van figured that it took exactly two weeks for his body to regenerate, so when the two weeks had passed since Folken's wings had broken through his back, Van said he was ready for Dryden's training.

The west wing of Dryden's mansion was not open to the servants. Besides Dryden and his mother, only the head butler had access to that part of the building. The head butler had not come with Dryden and lived mostly at the Fassa castle in Madrid, but once a year he made the trip out to Van and Hitomi's corner of the world and aired Master Fassa's books, and gave the training gym a thorough cleaning, making sure that everything was properly preserved and kept relatively dust free. The entrance to the west wing was at the end of the gallery. There were two large doors that led into the training hall, a library, and an infirmary.

Dryden entered in the codes and welcomed Van, Hitomi, Naria, and Eriya into that part of the house. Dryden had said there was a library, but Hitomi was shocked when she saw what it was – there were so few books – only one complete cabinet. But the room was dressed up as nicely as possible with comfortable chairs. Hitomi was definitely confused as she stepped into the room, and then her jaw literally dropped. There were boxes and boxes of unpacked books.

She gaped at them while Dryden explained, "Two years ago I had all of my father's books brought to my villa, and I brought them back with me when I came to meet you and Van, but as you can see, I still haven't unpacked them."

"What's the infirmary for?" Naria asked skeptically as she looked into a room that looked exactly like a nurse's office in a high school

"In case you happen to hurt yourself in the training gym," Van answered for Dryden. "If you're inexperienced, you can hurt yourself. This way you can treat yourself without having to see a doctor."

"Does it really get that dangerous?" Naria asked.

"Of course," Van said before he went ahead and pushed the doors open to reveal the training gym.

Hitomi followed him. The training gym was a large room, like a basketball court, with no windows. The floor was made with grey stone tiles and the walls appeared to be made of thick cement. There was a circular fountain in one corner with two tiers that Dryden turned on when he came in. In the ceiling there were a couple skylights, but other than that, it was empty. Hitomi guessed that although this room was bare, the arrangement was practical. This way the walls, floor and ceiling could be frozen, set on fire, soaked, and no one outside the building was any the wiser.

"Shut the doors," Dryden told Naria and Eriya who were staggering behind him. "Okay, let's get started. Van gets to go first since he obviously has a lot more material than anyone else to cover. Plus, you girls might get a good idea how to start by watching him. Kay, Van, call up some fire."

Van gave Dryden a look of absolute loathing before he took a deep breath and extended his left hand. When he snapped his fingers a spark ignited and he held a yellow flame in his hand. It floated far enough above him that it didn't hurt him, but it cracked and danced like a little fiery demon.

"Cool," Eriya said, coming up and putting her hands close to it to see if it was really hot. "I hope fire is one of my elements."

"Care to do a wind demonstration, Van?" Dryden persisted.

"I'd rather not," Van said quickly, snuffing out the fire.

Hitomi wondered at his answer and then she remembered that it had been air that he had been using when his wings grew. He probably didn't want to risk those wings coming out again. He was worried that if he used air then they might. After all, air was one of Folken's elements.

"Fair enough," Dryden said. "Then how about you start to learn ice? Hitomi can show you how to use that, I'm sure. Is that okay with you, Hitomi?"

"Yup," Hitomi answered.

"Naria, Eriya, you'll pay attention, right?" Dryden asked, looking at the twins like he didn't trust them to keep their minds on training.

"I know it's hard to envision," Hitomi said, taking Van by the shoulders and ignoring everyone else in the room. "But try to think of dance music. You've seen me do this hundreds of times. To be able to do it, you just need to believe that it's possible."

"Dancing isn't going to work," Van said, looking at the other people in the room. "What about running? That would get my heart beating fast and then I could focus."

"Running? Well, there's lots of room in here. Here, chase me," Hitomi said, bending down to tighten the laces on her runners. She looked at Van. It wasn't intentional, but they looked so much alike. He was wearing a black shirt with a red cross on the back with shorts and she was wearing a green shirt with black roses in a line across the breast. His black track runners were cooler than hers, but he only bought them a couple days before. She didn't know why, but at that second she felt like they were a team. When she got up, she poked him in the chest with her index finger. "You're _it_," she said playfully before making a break for it down the gym.

Van took off after her.

"Excuse me, Dryden!" Eriya called. "Do we really have to watch this?"

Dryden leaned against the wall and put his hands behind his head. "Even though it looks ridiculous, they really know what they're doing. They just need to get their hearts beating quickly and they'll be able to call forth ice. Lots of times, elements can't be summoned by users unless they're in a desperate situation – like adrenaline. So, either start running around with them to try to discover if you have ice too, or keep quiet and watch."

Van had caught Hitomi twice, and she was challenging him to give it a try. She called up her ice mittens and was even able to call up an ice crystal the length of a dagger.

"Holy crap!" Van shouted when he saw it. "You have gotten so much better! My imagination didn't even take me there. You can make something like that?"

"Better try to do it, too," she said, chucking it at him.

He dodged and closed his eyes.

"Think cold thoughts," Hitomi said as she conjured another crystal and was impressed that it was bigger this time.

Van put his right hand in the air and mouthed something. He didn't get an ice crystal but he got something closer to what Hitomi got the first time – sparkling snow with the sharpest edges. He focused it towards Hitomi and she had to jump to miss being hit by the stream of snowflakes. She ended up rolling and was on the floor laughing her head off when Van finally opened his eyes.

"Van! Baby, you're awesome!" she called to him, letting her fingers melt. "I knew you could do it.

He turned to look at her. "It was good?"

She banged both hands on the floor and said, "Heck yes!"

"Are you okay?" he asked rushing to her and helping her up.

"See, you two?" Dryden said to Naria and Eriya, "I told you they were going about it the right way."  
"I don't think ice is one of my abilities," Naria said. "I was researching opals and they definitely have fire, so I want to try fire. There isn't any point to my trying something like that."

"How about it, Van? Want to teach Naria how to use a little fire?" Dryden asked, taking out a book and looking at it with more interest than Naria.

Van was hugging Hitomi, but he turned to Dryden and said, "Sure, but if she doesn't want to get sweaty, she won't like my training at all."

"Why?" Naria asked.

"Because," Van said mockingly. "I'm going to make you mad."

Naria was not dressed like Van and Hitomi. Instead she was wearing white capris and a white shirt with a wide neck. Her blue bra straps were showing and she was wearing sandals.

"That's all it takes?" she said snottily. "This is absurd."

"I want to see if I have fire," Eriya said, approaching Van and looking more prepared for whatever teaching he had in mind. Eriya wasn't dressed much better, but she was wearing a pair of black boots that were more suitable for what Van had in mind. "So, let's get on with it."

"That's the spirit," Dryden yelled, not looking up from his book.

Van let go of Hitomi and approached Eriya. "Have you ever been in a catfight before?" he asked her seriously.

"Maybe one or two," she admitted.

"Then please don't scratch me. When you try to hit me, keep your fist clenched – no nails."

"When I _try_ to hit you?" she asked crossly.

"Yeah, that's how I discovered my abilities – in a fight. It's the only way I know how to teach, so you're going to have to fight me."

"You'd hit a girl?" Eriya asked, placing her feet apart and looking like she was mildly excited.

"I'd hit a girl if she hit me first, so I'll let you have the first hit, but I won't make it easy for you," Van said, positive and cocky.

"Sounds like fun," she said, getting into fighting stance.

"Whenever you're ready," Van challenged.

He jumped clear of her for the first blow. With swiftness and ease he missed her second, third and fourth strikes. Hitomi had no idea that Van was so agile or that he was so accustomed to fist fights. Eriya wasn't slow, and she seemed to have excellent reflexes, but he dodged everything she threw at him like it was a joke.

"Is that all you've got?" he said, taunting her. He hadn't even raised his fists to her, but was simply moving out of her way.

Eriya wouldn't be defeated, though, and she renewed her efforts. It also looked like a considerable amount of her concentration was working to keep control of her temper, and Van was deliberately baiting her.

"Eriya, you need to get angry!" Hitomi yelled at her. "Let him make you mad!"

"I don't need to hear that from _you_," Eriya snarled.

"Listen to Hitomi," Van said smoothly, looking conceited.

It was a low blow, but at that exact second Eriya kicked Van in the stomach. He didn't double over. He caught her leg before the kick truly did any damage and then he gritted his teeth and said to Eriya, "Beating me isn't the point. The point is getting you angry, so stop trying to look cool and hit me in the face with your fist."

"Well, quit saying useless crap," Eriya said, bouncing on one leg because Van was still holding her other leg in the air.

"I'm _trying_ to piss you off, but if you'd rather I attacked you outright … that's another way to get riled up," Van offered.

"Yeah, I'd rather you faced me honestly rather than bouncing around the room like a friggin' kangaroo. At least then I'd feel like I was doing something instead of you just making fun of me."

"Whatever you want," he said letting go of her leg and backing up a little. "But seriously, if you scratch me, I won't hold back."

"Can I kick?" she asked.

"If you want to, but I've never been able to summon fire with my feet, which is why I suggest you focus your attacks in your hands, but if you'd like – you may kick. It might give you an edge," Van said.

Eriya seemed to get a lot more confident after this. Van distinctly changed styles and blocked her attacks with his forearms and wrists. Eriya even seemed to be enjoying herself, but Van exhausted her. She wasn't used to this, so she burned out quicker than Van. She threw herself against a wall and asked for a time out. "I need a break," she said, before she was even able to land one punch.

"Breath harder," Van ordered.

Oddly enough, Eriya obeyed as she let her head fall back against the cement wall. A long spindle of smoke came from her mouth and the air around her vibrated with heat waves.

Van clapped his hands and congratulated her, "Good work, Eriya!"

"What?" she asked, wiping her damp forehead and opening her eyes. She hadn't seen the smoke.

"You did it! Breathe out again and you'll see, except breathe harder this time," Van said, cheering her on.

She did it and when she saw the smoke, she started laughing triumphantly. She clapped Van on the back and cried excitedly, "And to think I thought you were full of crap, but wow, it really worked. And one of my elements is fire. Yeah!"

"You might only have the one," Dryden said, peeking out from behind his book.

She glared at him. "You just can't accept the chance that Naria and I could be more powerful than you. Well, we'll find out, won't we?" She snapped her head towards Van and asked, "What else can you teach us? He said you could use air. Can you help us see if we have that?"

"Wait," Naria said suddenly. "It's my turn to fight him, isn't it?"

Hitomi was shocked at this. "She got into the mood quickly," Hitomi thought savagely.

Van went over to the fountain and dunked his head in the water. When he brought his head out, he shook his head like he was a puppy. Then he made his way back over to the girls. "Okay, I'll fight Naria next. We're taking turns, aren't we?"

Eriya agreed and made room for her sister.

Naria had kicked off her sandals and cracked her knuckles.

"You don't normally do this sort of thing, do you?" Van asked, observing Naria prepare herself.

"No, but don't underestimate me. I just can't scratch, right?"  
"Yeah, but focus on your breathing and try to make it as intense as possible, and if you could get angry enough to really try to hurt me, that would be good too."

"I notice you didn't hit Eriya once. You'd better not go so easy on me. Remember that my father was The Fool. I've been hit lots of times."

Hitomi stared. She didn't know that Naria and Eriya's father was The Fool. Apparently, Van didn't know either because Naria, little prissy Naria, planted a punch squarely on his jaw. Van squinted as he recovered from the punch. Naria was nursing her hand as well.

"Damn that hurt," she said, backing up.

"Let's go," Van said, looking more serious than when he fought Eriya. Yet, Hitomi noticed that he was still holding back. Van said that he learned of his powers when he was in a fistfight with some kids at school. How often had he fought? He was experienced. But he blocked her attacks when she made them instead of dodging. It wasn't until there was a sickeningly obvious opening that he hit her. Now it was her turn to make fun of him.

"You call that an attack? I've had black eyes before," Naria growled.

"Is that true?" Hitomi asked Eriya, who was now sitting cross-legged beside her.

Eriya didn't answer, and Hitomi knew that it _was_ true. No wonder neither of them cared that their father was dead if he abused them. Hitomi looked over at Dryden. He was watching the fight with interest.

Naria hit Van across the cheek again, and Hitomi realized that there was no way she was fighting Van. She was fighting her father. That was her tactic to get mad enough to hurt him.

Suddenly, Van left himself wide open and challenged her "Hit me!"

Naria hesitated, but only for a moment before she swung at Van. It was the sort of knockout punch that someone delivers at the end of a boxing match. Hitomi thought for a split second that Van was going to let her hit him like that, but he jumped out of the way at the last second and grabbed her arm in a lock.

"You've done it, Naria!" he shouted at her. "Feel your fist with the palm of your other hand. You've called forth fire. See?"

Naria was breathing hard, but she did what Van told her to do. Her eyes looked around wildly as she felt the heat with her free hand. "But that's so pathetic," she said, her eyes now downcast and pitiful.

"It'll get stronger. This is how I started. It'll get stronger. I promise," Van said, his hair still dripping wet and creating dark spots on his black T-shirt.

"But that was the first time you called up ice, wasn't it? And you were able to do that much?" Naria muttered, sounding hopeless.

"I've nearly mastered two elements. It's not the same for me, so don't feel bad. I got the same results as you when I first did it; now I'm more experienced. Go sit down and relax for a minute. After this, it should come to you much easier. Just go and remember what you felt like at that moment right before I grabbed your arm. If you can memorize that moment, then things should be much easier for you later on, like Hitomi and her dance music. Go sit down." As Van said all this, he didn't sound comforting or reassuring, even though those were his words. Instead, he sounded like an uninterested third party. Next he focused on Hitomi. "Come here, you little doppelganger," he said.

"Doppelganger?" Eriya asked Dryden once Naria had plopped down next to them.

"It's believed that The Goddess of the Moon can turn into any person she has ever seen," Dryden said. "Van just wants to experiment."

Hitomi stood up beside Van and yelled at Dryden, "Do you have any bright ideas as to how I should go about this?"

"No," Dryden bellowed back mockingly. Then he suddenly looked more thoughtful and he said, "But Akira might. Tell you what; I'll go see if I have a copy of her logbook. I'll bet The Historian provided me with a copy. I'll be right back," he said, heading towards the doors.

"Wait! I'll come with you," Eriya offered.

"No thanks," Dryden said, declining charmingly. "You stay and watch them try to figure out a way to make it work."

"Who's Akira?" Naria asked, looking less dazed. The world seemed to have come back into focus for her now that a few moments had passed.

"The Changeling," Dryden supplied before he left the room. "Hitomi's aunt."

"Who should I change into?" Hitomi asked Van.

"I don't know. It can be anyone," Van said.

"Start with a chick," Naria supplied noisily.

"Yeah," Hitomi agreed. "How about Celena?"

"Okay. Give it a try," Van encouraged.

Hitomi lay down on the floor on her back and tried her best to picture Celena in her head. Celena had blue eyes. Hitomi had green eyes. Her eyes had to become blue like Celena's. Celena's hair was blonder than Hitomi's. Celena was taller, more slender, her skin paler. Hitomi remembered all of this and tried to bring it into focus. She was trying to open her mind up to the idea of looking like her physically. What sort of clothes did she wear? What did her voice sound like? Hitomi was hitting a barrier in her mind. She felt like she couldn't answer all these questions. She didn't know Celena well enough, but she felt like she should have accomplished something. "How am I doing?" she asked Van.

"Your hair's blonder!" Naria shouted, laughing.

Hitomi didn't believe Naria. She opened one eye and looked at Van, "Is that true?"

He looked like he didn't know how to answer, "Maybe. I'm not sure."

"I've got to think of someone else. I don't know Celena well enough," Hitomi said, bringing herself into sitting position, but her body felt stiff and sore. "I don't feel good," she said. She thought she was going to throw up. "Oh Van, I feel terrible." Her mind was spinning and she was suddenly so dizzy that she couldn't keep herself upright. She fell on the tile floor.

Van picked her up quickly and carried her to the infirmary. He propped her up in front of the sink in case she really did throw up.

"Focus on being yourself," Van ordered. "I don't know what else to tell you. Focus!"

Hitomi had to undo it exactly the way she had started it. She compared their eyes, then their hair colours, then their bodies and their skin tones. Only when she went through all of these things and reminded herself - which of these decisions were hers - did the nausea in her stomach go away. When it was gone, she slumped her body on the floor. Van got her a drink of water and she drank it reluctantly.

"Why should I feel sick?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's a consequence of not being able to finish the transformation. Though I think Naria was right; your hair was blonder, because when you opened your eyes just now when you had your head bent over the sink, your eyes were definitely blue. We'll have to try again some time, but not now. You look tired."

"I am tired."

"I can't believe that Dryden skulked off like that when it came time to train those two. What does he think he's pulling, leaving it all for me to do?"

"You don't like the responsibility?"

"No, it's not that," Van said. "I just have this sick feeling that my teaching them to use fire is going to be a bad idea – that one day I'm going to have to fight them. Both of them, and that it'll be nowhere near as easy as it was today. You're supposed to have prophetic visions. Do you have a premonition about them?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"Well, how are you feeling now? Do you think you can go back?"

"Yeah, just so long as I don't have to do anything for a little while," Hitomi said.

"Okay, I'll try a new element, then," Van said, letting her lean on him as they went back into the training gym. He sat Hitomi next to the wall and went up to Naria and Eriya. "Were there any other elements you specifically wanted to try today?"

"Lightning," both twins said at the same time.

Van looked at them like they were aliens. He obviously had no idea how to even begin teaching them that. He had never used it before. "I'll go get Dryden," he said.

Hitomi sat by the wall and felt every part of her body. Trying to turn into Celena had been such a strange experience and it was taking her a second to get used to what had happened. It almost worked. Was it just that she didn't know Celena well enough to conjure up her appearance, or was there some other reason?

When Van and Dryden came back into the training gym, Dryden was carrying a dusty box. "You guys sure are hardcore. I was sure you'd want a break by now. Well, lightning." He sat down on the floor and opened the box he was carrying. There were four silver revolvers set in black velvet. Dryden opened the barrel on each one to make sure that they weren't loaded before he gave one to Eriya, Naria, and Van. "Lightning is about speed and the nervous system. So, I would recommend practicing drawing the gun out of the front or back of your pants just to see how fast you can get, then maybe do some practice show downs. I'll go see if I can find the holsters. I know they're somewhere in there," he said getting up and heading out again.

Hitomi bet that Dryden knew exactly where they were and he was just stalling so that he wouldn't have to spend time with Naria and Eriya.

"Wait, Dryden!" Hitomi called after him. "Your element is water, isn't it? Do you think you could show me how to use it? I haven't gotten to learn anything new today."  
Dryden went to Hitomi immediately and helped her up. "Of course," he said gallantly. "Come over to the water fountain and we'll get started."

"Opals have less than two percent of water in them. I doubt I have water," Naria said, swinging her white hair over her shoulder. It was clear that she knew she was being ignored when Hitomi was shown such preference.

Eriya came and sat by them and listened while Naria practiced her quick draw. Van came and sat next to Hitomi by the fountain while Dryden explained a little about water as an element.

"Water is equated with wisdom. So, I suggest we start with some light meditation. Hitomi, would you like me to turn the fountain off, so you can concentrate without distraction?"

"No thanks," Hitomi said, getting up and kicking off her shoes. From her experience learning ice, she thought that the only way to go about learning something new was to simply jump into the deep end. "Don't monks stand under waterfalls to gain enlightenment? Besides, I want to be able to think on my feet. I don't want to 'require' quiet when I'm in a tight pinch." She pulled her socks off too and then her shirt and shorts. While wearing just her bra and panties she put her toe in the water of the fountain.

"It's going to be cold," Dryden said.

He was right. It was really cold.

"You're brave to get that naked when you're going to be wet," Eriya commented, looking at Dryden coyly. "Hitomi, aren't you worried about Dryden's oath where he swore off women? Seeing you like that might cause him to break it."

"Yeah right," Hitomi said sarcastically. "This has nothing to do with that. Dryden's not even that perverted. Besides, I plan to sit under that tier of water; he won't even be able to see me properly with the water spilling over my head. I'm going to be freezing cold while I learn something, okay? No pain, no gain."

"Are you really going to do this, Hitomi?" Van asked. "That water is really cold."

"I don't care," she said stubbornly as she plunked her flat foot against the turquoise floor of the fountain. _Freak!_ It was _freaking _cold. But she steadied her nerves and sat down. When the water hit her panties, she squirmed. This was definitely a radical move, but she reminded herself that one of her elements was ice and that it shouldn't bother her as much as someone else. She crossed her legs and moved to back up so that the spill of water from the next highest tier would hit her head. When she turned around she saw that Van was stripping as well.

"He couldn't be outdone by Hitomi," Dryden observed, as Van dropped his pants, and pulled off his socks.

Eriya politely turned her head away, and Hitomi suspected she was concealing a blush. "Are you sure you don't have a brother?" she asked Van again.

Van didn't answer her but lowered himself into the water beside Hitomi. He didn't say one more word to complain about how cold the water was. He had soaked his head before, so he really knew what he was getting into.

Hitomi turned to Dryden and asked, "Is there any particular thought you've focused on when you've been able to summon water?"

"My goals," Dryden answered. "So, think of your goal and go for it!"

Van backed up into the mini waterfall before Hitomi and the water splashed around him. Hitomi knew what Van's goal was … he wanted to kill Folken. What was her goal? She hung back and thought. She couldn't go through with this until she knew what her goal was. Did she want to defeat the Zaibach Group? Did she want to take down the Dragon Slayers? Did she want to finish high school and make up with her family? Yeah, she wanted to do all those things, but she wasn't exactly consumed by those feelings. She didn't want people to be hurt. She didn't want Van to be hurt and if he got his way and killed his brother, she knew that would be the key to his undoing. There was no way he would get the revenge and the satisfaction he was looking for. Not only that, but Hitomi was positive that the remorse that would follow would be too much for him to bear. He was delicate at his core no matter how rough he seemed on the outside. She'd only seen a glimpse of that Van once or twice, but she knew it was there. He'd never forgive himself if he actually took his brother's life, and that gentle part of him would die forever. That would be her goal – she'd protect Van! She'd protect him from whatever threatened him, even if it was himself.

Hitomi let her body fall back, the water hit her and damn … it was cold.

* * *

Author's notes: Special thanks to Kaytala for beta reading, and a special thanks to those who read and review, and a special thanks to those who post on my forum and keep the thing alive. Special thanks' all over the place today. Whoa! 

The forum should be up by now as well. Anyone who is new - it's available through my profile page as well as through the Escaflowne category, so come check us out if you haven't been already. It's actually pretty fun cause there's a lot to talk about.

Thank you again everyone who is reading and supporting me. I really appreciate your care! I'm really happy that this story has made it this far. I hope I can wrap this story up well for you. Cheers!


	4. The Doppelganger

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

Author's Notes: Hiya! I know I'm updating a little early tonight. It's cause I just love you all SO MUCH!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**The Doppelganger**

After racing through Dryden's mansion soaking wet and barefoot, Hitomi and Van found themselves in the shower in their suite. The water was so warm and it felt so good compared to the fountain that when Hitomi got out, she practically glowed. This was way better than high school – way better.

When Hitomi got out of the fountain, her mind was so clear that she could use her hands like a couple of water guns. Van was just as good. Dryden couldn't stop smiling.

"I told you two to pay attention to Van and Hitomi and look at them. They're amazing! Now for pity sake, everyone - take a break. I haven't seen my woman all day and she's probably lonely without me. Lunch was supposed to be served twenty minutes ago, so please go eat. I'll lock up, and I don't want to catch any of you anywhere near this place until tomorrow."

Hitomi and Van didn't need to be told twice, both of them were freezing. Hitomi picked up her clothes and clutched them in her arms as she tiptoed across the carpet. Van rushed after her. They were making a mess.

Now that they were in their suite, Van lit the fire in the grate for Hitomi and hung back in the bathroom for a moment. Hitomi was lying on the bed in her housecoat thinking about her attempt to transform into Celena. She still wasn't entirely sure what had gone wrong. It was clear that transforming into someone else was something she was able to do, so why did she have a hard time? She asked Van about it when he came back into the room.

He leaned against the wall, with his arms across his bare chest, thinking. "Well, I would say that Celena would be a hard first person to try. You only met her that one time. Why don't you try someone you know a little better – like your mother or Marlene?"

"I suppose I could try something like that. I guess I'll try Marlene," Hitomi said, pulling the towel out of her hair and laying down flat on her back. "Hey Van, will you go into the bathroom while I see if I can get it to work? I'll call for you if I need you."

"Okay," he said, looking reluctant, but he went into the bathroom and shut the door.

Hitomi closed her eyes like she did before and focused on her sister's looks. Marlene's eyes weren't as green as Hitomi's – much closer to blue. Here, it was tempting for Hitomi to think of her failure when she tried to turn into Celena, but Hitomi concentrated on Marlene. She remembered her fairer hair and how long and curly it was. It was really thick and strong. Hitomi focused on the sizes of her sister's clothes and the way she applied eyeliner. Marlene's shoe size was one size smaller than Hitomi's, so she concentrated on that. Marlene wore pink lip-gloss with sparkles in it, and she wore a perfume that smelled like lavender. The last thing Hitomi remembered was the way Marlene laughed when she was really happy, and after that Hitomi felt daring enough to open her eyes and try to get up.

When Hitomi swung her legs to the floor and sat up, she didn't feel nauseated. It was bazaar, but she felt distinctly bored. She got up and went to a mirror that was hanging in the room and took a look at her reflection. Hitomi blinked – Marlene was gazing back at her. She had definitely been able to do it, but she didn't feel any special excitement about it. Her mind told her that she should feel excited, but instead she felt bored, and she noticed that she needed to reapply her lipstick. Hitomi looked around the room confusedly. When had she, Hitomi, ever cared if she was wearing lipstick? That was something Marlene cared about, though.

Hitomi took a step away from the mirror. This was weird, but she had to show Van that she was successful. She went to the bathroom door and clicked it open as quietly as possible.

Van was standing with his back to the door, both of his hands were on his hips, and Hitomi noticed that he still hadn't put on his shirt yet, but her reaction to Van without his shirt on was different than her usual one. Hitomi had seen Van shirtless hundreds of times and though it was exciting it wasn't _this_ exciting. Why was she so embarrassed, so shy, so … like a teenager? Hitomi put a hand to her mouth. It had to be because she had taken on Marlene's appearance and thus, her reaction as well.

Hitomi forced herself … quite literally forced herself to go up to Van and put her arms around him, but it was so hard and her hands shook so much.

"Did you get it to work?" he asked casually as he kissed one of her hands and then turned around to see her. When their eyes met, his reaction was intense. He backed away from her so quickly that he fell into the tub. "HOLY CRAP!" he exclaimed, looking at her with eyes as wide as TV screens.

Hitomi went to the mirror – she was still wearing the bathrobe. Her hair was long like Marlene's and when she touched it, it felt much different than her own hair, like a wig, except that it was firmly attached to her skull. She smiled at her reflection, but the mannerisms weren't Marlene's and it looked all wrong – they were Hitomi's. She looked down at the robe. "It seems like I can't change clothes, just my body, so if I ever do this, I'd better be prepared to fit into the clothes I'm wearing with the new body I select."

Van lifted himself out of the tub. "I'll say. I'm really impressed, Hitomi. Wow!"

Hitomi looked back at him and noticed that she still felt distinctly uncomfortable. "Van, go put a shirt on, for pity sake!"

"Why?" he asked, looking perplexed.

"Because, Marlene isn't used to seeing you … like this, and she doesn't exactly like it. My face is on fire, isn't it? I feel like I'm blushing so hot I could heat the room."

Van didn't need a further explanation and dashed into the dressing room to get a new shirt. "Sorry," he said, coming back and adjusting the collar on the shirt he put on. "I didn't realize that you adopted their personality, too."

Hitomi gulped. "I don't think I exactly adopt their personality. I can do what I want. There's no way Marlene would have thought to put her arms around you like I did when I came into the room. She wouldn't have done it. The whole time I was doing it, I was really distressed. It's just that I felt how she would have felt in that situation … I think. I'll have to try this more."

"Do you know anything new that you wouldn't normally know?" Van asked.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like what happened after you left home?"

"No. I don't think so. This is all really weird. My voice doesn't sound like mine, and I have the urge to say different things."

"Like what?" Van asked.

"I don't know. I'm not sure how to explain it. I need to try this with someone less hormonal. I'm going to change back into myself. I've had enough of this," Hitomi said as she went back into the bedroom to change.

Van politely stayed in the bathroom.

* * *

The next day, when Hitomi and Van came down to breakfast, it was clear that something had happened. The atmosphere at the table was distinctly cold. It didn't take Hitomi five seconds to realize that Dryden had had it out with Naria and Eriya. Everyone was eating like they were only paying lip service to the meal. Hitomi felt like one wrong word spoken would amount in an explosion, so she didn't say anything besides a quick 'good morning' before sitting down to eat. 

Selphie got up first and left without saying a word – not even to Dryden. Hitomi wanted to run after her, but if she did, there was nothing that she could say to the girl to comfort her. And even so, Hitomi had no clue what exactly had happened.

When it came time for them to go to the training gym together, once again Dryden hung out in the library while the rest of them went in to practice. Hitomi wanted to ask what had happened, but refrained. She didn't think that Naria and Eriya would want to talk to her. Eventually, she thought she'd hear about it from Dryden.

Naria and Eriya were practicing quick draws when Dryden came in with the holsters. He actually helped Naria put hers on. Hitomi thought she saw him whispering something into her ear, but she couldn't be sure. He touched Eriya's cheek, too, before he went back into the library.

"I'm sick of this crap," Eriya spat noisily after Dryden left. "It was easier to fight Van. How is a gun going to help me?"

Van was bouncing his pistol on the back of his hand like it was a hacky sack. "Don't get so discouraged," he said, snatching it out of the air and pointing the barrel at Eriya's head with such speed that if he'd pulled the trigger, he definitely would have killed her. "Discovering these things on your own is slow. I want to drop the gun entirely and try snapping my fingers, but I feel like if I do that I'll call up fire and I won't learn anything new. The same goes for you."

Eriya threw her gun at Van's head in frustration.

Van ducked. "You shouldn't throw things," he said, reprimanding her for her bad manners.

"Fight me, Van!" she challenged.

"Want to try fire again?"

"I'm angry and I want to get good with it," she answered.

Van took off his gun holster and sat it down in the corner before preparing to box Eriya. Eriya had come to the training gym prepared today. She was wearing track gear.

Hitomi watched them spar, but she didn't have the same options for training as they did. She had already trained with ice and considered herself good enough with it. There was a limit to how much screwing around she could do before she felt bored. Besides ice, she had water as an element, and she considered getting under the fountain again to meditate, but it was an unusually cold day that November morning and the last thing Hitomi wanted was to chill herself to the bone like that. Lastly, Dryden said that she probably had darkness as her final element. She thought about that. That didn't sound like an element that you practiced with in the training gym. She wasn't sure if she even understood the application of an element like that. Darkness? Darkness did what? The only answer she was able to come up with was that darkness hides things, which is very useful in its own way, but she wasn't about to start experimenting with it with Naria and Eriya there.

She tiptoed into the library to talk to Dryden. She wanted to know what happened with Naria and Eriya and she thought there was a pretty good chance he would simply tell her if she asked.

Dryden was crouched down in front of one of the boxes. When Hitomi came in, Dryden stood up, his legs looking unusually long in the fitted pants he was wearing. "Hi, Hitomi. I'm still looking for Akira's logbook. I haven't been able to find it, but I'm sure it's here somewhere."

"There's no rush, really," Hitomi said, wrapping her grey sweater around her waist tighter. She sat down in one of the chairs and said, "I really wanted to ask you what happened with Naria and Eriya. They seem really angry with you."

"They are," he confessed.

"What happened?"

Dryden exhaled an angry breath, "I didn't do anything to them. I promise."

"Okay, I believe you. So what happened?"

"Last night after everyone went to bed, they snuck into my room. They were expecting to find me alone in the bed …"

"And Selphie was with you?" Hitomi blurted.

Dryden scowled at her, "You know that Selphie has her own bedroom. She doesn't sleep with me – I don't sleep with her. Our relationship isn't like that. It's hard on me," he said quieter. "But our relationship isn't like that. Anyway, they were expecting to find me in my bed and I wasn't there. I was in the downstairs study on the phone with the butler. I told you before that my business needs me. Well, it's my father's corporation and the board of trustees wants me to come back and work for them full time like I'm supposed to. I originally told them that I wouldn't be back to work before Christmas, but the board refuses to see things my way and they are after me to come back sooner. Among other things I'm the vice president in charge of external relations and advertising. This might sound cocky, but I'm really good at it, and my temporary replacement is floundering in my shoes."

"I don't think that sounds cocky, Dryden. You would be good at public relations."

"Thanks Hitomi. I really am exceptional at it. So, lately, besides procrastinating giving the executive committee a proper answer, I have been working on the latest advertising campaign in my spare moments. I used to do it at school as well, but … well, you shouldn't have to be burdened with all my problems. When Naria and Eriya found my room empty, they burst into Selphie's room to see if I was with her and they scared the living daylights out of her. She came rushing to my study, because she knew that's where I was – she knows about my problems. She was absolutely hysterical and she begged me to put her on a plane to Naples because she couldn't stand being here for another second."

"How did you convince her to stay?" Hitomi asked, totally dumbfounded.

"I didn't," Dryden said, looking defeated and falling into a chair. "She's planning to stay for one more week and if I can't pull through for her then she's leaving … forever."

"What does she want you to do?"

Dryden looked around the room like it was a desolate wasteland with no water in sight. "I can't do it … what she wants. I can't do it. I need more time than a week. But I understand, and if she has to go then she has to go."

"You'd let her?" Hitomi exclaimed, surprised that he was willing to give up so easily. "You love her, don't you? It's not okay to just let her go, is it?"

Dryden put his hands together and looked at Hitomi. "It would probably be better if she left, not because I don't want her or because I don't love her, but because … I'm not ready for her yet. If she left, someday I'd get her back."

There was a gasp at the door, and Hitomi and Dryden looked up to see Naria standing at the door. She lingered at the doorway for a second, not looking anything like a wounded female. Her eyes shimmered like poisonous blue fire – directed exactly at Dryden's heart - and then she turned away. She disappeared into the training gym and didn't look back.

"Was that bad?" Hitomi asked Dryden quietly after she was sure that Naria was well out of earshot.

"It's okay. I had it out with both of them last night. They know that I'm not going to marry either of them or start up a contract. Besides, even though they seem really hot to get a contract up and running, neither of them really want to have children right now. What they really want is a full-scale romance and they thought that at least one of them could have one with me, but that isn't possible. I'm never going to enter into a contract with a Tarot user. There's no need. We need new blood and I'm the key to all that, because it's believed that I can have children with a regular human, so I'm lucky. I get to have my choice of a companion. So that's all there is to it. But, they know where they stand after the fiasco last night. They know that they can stay here and train as long as they like, and that I'll help them, but there's no way I'm changing my mind about having one of them become my woman. They're fine women and all that, but they're not for me," Dryden said, sounding determined.

Hitomi nodded, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure she understood Dryden. He sounded like Van, saying that he and Selphie needed to be apart, and for what reason? Hitomi didn't understand.

* * *

Later that night, Hitomi and Van were in the training gym alone. Van had dressed her up in his clothes back in their room and hauled her down to the training gym. 

"What's all this?" she asked, as she stood opposite him, alone in the huge hall. For a second, she thought that he was going to propose that they learn how to use darkness together.

When he suddenly said, "Hitomi, I'd like to see if you can turn into me."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly alarmed. Turning into a guy sounded too weird, too invasive, and like something she had no desire to do.

"I think this might be why you're more powerful than all of us. If you can turn into me and use all my Tarot abilities, then that would easily explain why Dryden says that you're the second toughest Tarot user ever born. Come on, give it a try."

Hitomi balked, "I'm a little uncomfortable with this, Van. Please don't make me."

He looked disappointed, but he said, "I won't force you. I just thought it would be interesting." Van moved to leave the gym, but Hitomi stopped him.

"Wait, okay, I see where you're going with this, but something funny might happen. I felt wretched when I tried to turn into Celena, so please keep an eye on me."

He agreed.

Hitomi lay down on the tile and did the exercise she now thought of as standard to change her body into someone else. First, his eyes were brown, a deep sherry colour. Then she thought about the way his hair was cut and the colour of it. Then she thought about his height and his shoulders, his knuckles and his nose. This was different than the other times. She knew a lot more about Van's body than she knew about anyone else's and the rest of him was coming into focus so fast for her she almost gagged like she was drowning. When she thought of his voice, she knew she had it, and so much faster than what happened when she tried to transform into Marlene.

Van helped her up when she was finished, and looked at her carefully. "Is that really what I look like?"

"I guess," Hitomi said. The emotions she felt when she wore Van's body were much different than when she had worn Marlene's. It felt like he was so emotionally charged that he was going to bust out of his skin. Hitomi had no way of guessing before how passionate and empowered Van was about getting revenge on Folken. Now she knew for sure how dead serious he was. It was scary for her to feel this bloodthirsty. She had never felt this strongly about anything when she was herself and the rush of feeling was overpowering her.

"Hitomi," Van asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just … didn't realize … that you … wanted … to kill Folken … this much," she said with his voice, choking and coughing at the same time.

"You feel what I feel, eh?" he asked, pounding on her back with his palm to help her with the coughing. "Let's get your mind off that, though I admit that this situation is extremely weird. Try to think about fire and see if you can call it up," he suggested when she pulled herself together.

Hitomi tried to think of how to call up fire, and it came to her so fast. It was like she'd known how to do it for years. She extended his hand and snapped his fingers and brought up a flame just like he had when he had done the demonstration for Naria and Eriya.

"Wow …" he said, looking astounded … and completely creeped out, even though he wouldn't admit it. His eyebrow was twitching.

She let the fire die and hoped that Van would finish his experiment soon. She didn't like how he looked at her, because it wasn't like he was looking at her, but like he was looking at himself … he _was_ looking at himself. This difference in her was definitely going to take some time to adjust to.

"Do you want me to try air?" she asked.

"No," he said immediately. "There's no way I want you to try something as dangerous as that. I'm just thinking. You can use water and ice because you've already learned how to use them, but what about something else that I have that you don't?"

"There's earth, lightning, light and darkness, but none of those will work," she said.

"How do you know?" Van asked.

"Because you don't know how to use them," Hitomi answered. "Besides, this is weird. Your arms are longer than mine and so are your legs." She started walking in circles around him. "It doesn't feel exactly natural, but it feels familiar."

"Hmm … it really will take some getting used to."

"Are you done checking me out? Can I change back?" she asked, coming up beside Van and putting his arm around him.

Van jumped back at her touch. "Yes! You can change back."

"What's going on in here?" Dryden asked, coming in. "Whoa!" he said when he saw two Van's standing side by side. "You were able to do it. Good for you."

"Do you know which one of us is the real Van?" Van asked.

Dryden stared. "I'd guess it's you," he said pointing to Van. "That one isn't wearing any shoes. But otherwise, I probably wouldn't have known."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So, were you two able to discover anything interesting?"

"Watch me!" Hitomi said, suddenly getting the urge to show off – was this how Van felt? She breathed hard and called up a little column of fire. "I bet I can even do better than this, but I don't want to cause too much damage." Hitomi guessed that she didn't expect Dryden to be very interested, but he was exceptionally impressed.

His eyes were wide as he watched her play with the fire. "So, I see. That's why you're so powerful. You can turn into anyone and use their powers; because there's no way you have fire otherwise. Unbelievable!"

Van was holding his forehead and shaking his head, "Turn back already, Hitomi. Even though we learned a lot through this little experiment, I don't think I want to see you do this again. It's unsettling."

Hitomi closed her eyes and remained standing this time. She went through the doors in her mind to turn herself back into herself – her eyes, her hair, her height, her body, her voice – and when she opened her eyes, she looked like herself again.

"That was fast," Dryden said, sounding pleased.

"What does the transformation look like from your perspective?" Hitomi asked Dryden and Van. She had never seen it.

"Well, first your hair changed colour and then it grew, and then I blinked and you looked like yourself. It was really fast," Dryden said.

"Yeah, it was like that," Van agreed.

"Here, Hitomi. I found Akira's logbook. I looked at it at least five times before I finally figured out that this was her log. It's titled funny. Most of them are titled with whatever their official Tarot name was, so I was looking for a book called 'The Changeling', but there was nothing like that. I started opening the books when I got impatient and found it. It's called 'Reoccurring Dream'. Interesting, huh?"

"Yeah," Hitomi said, taking the slim purple book from him. This was something she definitely wanted to read. "Thanks for finding it for me, Dryden."

"You're welcome. Oh, and I wanted to ask you. Have either of you seen Naria and Eriya?"

Both Van and Hitomi shook their heads.

"Hmm … are you guys done for the night, because I'd like to lock up now, if that's all right?"

"That's fine," Van said, taking hold of Hitomi's elbow and ushering her out of the gym. It didn't take a genius to recognize that Van wasn't taking Hitomi's transformation well. It looked like it bothered him a lot. He was touching her to remind himself what she was really like.

Dryden turned off the lights and came out of the west wing of the mansion with them. As soon as the three of them were back in the main part of the house, one of the maids was buzzing on all the intercoms looking for Master Dryden.

Dryden grabbed one of the intercoms on the wall and pressed the button that allowed him to talk. "I'm here," he said. "What is it?"

"Master Dryden, I just found a note from Miss Naria and Miss Eriya in their room. They said they went to a concert in the city."

"Oh, is that all? Does the note say when they're coming back?" Dryden asked, sounding calm.

"No, but Master, they say they've gone to The Voltage Room," the girl's voice squealed.

* * *

Author's notes: Howdy! Before I go on my happy little rant about how good everyone who reviews is I'd like to start out by saying - Van's bouncing the gun on the back of his hand like a hacky sack doesn't really work. After I wrote the chapter, I got out a ahem gun (sort of - the closest thing I had) and tried it. Yeah - that hurts! A lot! I don't think someone would bounce it more than twice before deciding that no matter how cool they looked - it wasn't worth the trouble. It rapped against my knuckles something brutal. So, even though this is farfetched - I tried that ... and it hurt ... a lot. 

Okay, so now I can go on my little thanking spree. Thanks be to Kaytala for beta reading. She's a busy girl and she still finds time to help me. And thanks to those who review and go to my forum and comment. My forum should be up by now. You know where to find it - my profile page and in the Escaflowne section. Everyone who reviews - THANK YOU! I have had such good comments. It makes me excited to write. You ROCK!


	5. Clubbing for Deuces

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or anything written by Virtual Server. I'm just enjoying the ride.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Clubbing for Deuces**

_Featuring 'Why Would I?' by Virtual Server_

_

* * *

_

"Those dumb, dumb, dumb girls!" Van growled, marching up the stairs to his and Hitomi's suite like he was a boxer preparing to enter the ring.

Hitomi was almost running to catch up with his ultra-angry long strides. "Calm down," she said, grabbing his sleeve. "We just need to go and get Naria and Eriya and bring them back."

Dryden was walking behind them looking sufficiently vexed as well. "They probably just went to relax. They probably don't know that The Voltage Room is a Dragon Slayer club."

"And Folken might not be singing tonight," Hitomi added hopefully.

"Yeah right, he's not singing tonight. They're doing this to punish Dryden for rejecting them. I'll bet that they knew Folken was there and that he was their backup plan if Dryden didn't come through for them. Remember how they kept asking me if I had a brother? And considering how hyper Folken seemed to be to get a Tarot woman under contract, he would take one look at Naria and Eriya and … argh, I think you get the picture. Come on! Hitomi, get dressed. If we hurry, we might be able to stop something stupid from happening."

"And if they're intentionally going after Folken because I dissed them, exactly what is our interference going to accomplish?" Dryden asked, coming into Van and Hitomi's suite with them. "It sounds like you're acting on the chance that they might not know that Folken is there."

"No, I think they know damn well that Folken is there. I think the thing they don't know is that he's a murdering bastard. Someone has to tell them before they do something they might regret," Van shouted, before shooing Hitomi into the dressing room.

Through the closed door, Hitomi heard Dryden ask, "Are you're saying Folken doesn't deserve a chance with someone who's available? One would think you'd be happy to have him off Hitomi's back. He probably doesn't even know that you and Hitomi are married yet."

"I didn't say you had to come with us," Van said shortly. "You can stay here if you don't like my way of doing things."

Hitomi didn't hear Dryden's answer.

The next thing she heard was Van saying, "You're coming, then?"

"I guess so," Dryden said, but Hitomi could barely hear him.

Now she was concentrating on finding something to wear. She had gone to The Voltage Room twice and she hadn't gone properly dressed either time. Hitomi promised herself that tonight was going to be different.

She tossed Van's clothes into the laundry bin and grabbed a pair of black pants to wear. She pulled them on. Even though this was supposed to be a dangerous situation, Hitomi couldn't help being a little excited. Folken was a creep, but he had an exquisite singing voice. It would be fun to dance to one of his songs with Van. Of course, Hitomi realised that it wasn't possible, but that didn't stop her from looking through her clothes carefully for something fun and sexy to wear. She stared at her clothes in dismay. She was only a high school student and didn't own anything like suitable for clubbing - not a sequin or a bead or something shiny, or anything! She was tempted to scamper into Selphie's room to borrow something, but there wasn't time. In the end, she put on a plain black t-shirt. It had a V-neckline low enough to show off a necklace. Hitomi didn't even think about it. She pushed the protection pendant Van gave her over her shoulder so that the stone fell down her back instead of down her chest and put on a flashy rhinestone necklace overtop. She looked at herself in the mirror to make sure it wasn't obvious that she was wearing both necklaces, and then she went and put on her makeup.

Normally, it didn't even occur to Hitomi to wear makeup, but something had happened to her since she had transformed herself into Marlene. She sort of understood how Marlene felt – she wanted to impress someone. Van was the person Hitomi wanted to impress, but he wasn't going to be pleased if she took much longer, so she put some clips in her hair, fluffed her bangs and headed out of the dressing room.

"I wasn't too long, was I?" she asked, looking at Van and Dryden.

Dryden was sitting on the chair at the desk looking serious and Van was pacing the room like a cat preparing to pounce. The look Hitomi got from Van was indescribable.

"Come on, let's go," Van said impatiently. "I'm driving."

Dryden scoffed. "No, you're not. The girls probably took a taxi to The Voltage Room, so we'll need to have room in the car to drive Naria and Eriya home. We'll need to take something spacious, and your convertible won't cut it. I'll drive, so don't be ridiculous."

"Fine. Let's just get out of here already," Van said, storming down to the garages.

Hitomi didn't understand Van and tonight was a stellar night for not understanding him. He wasn't in a mood to be trifled with, and even though Hitomi didn't quite comprehend it, her appearance and presence seemed to be making him even madder. When they were driving, he put her in the back seat of the SUV, and he sat in the front beside Dryden. He opened the car door for Hitomi and everything, but there was something in his attitude that acted like he would have preferred it if she had stayed at the mansion.

Dryden was driving, so Hitomi didn't have a chance to ask Van if he was angry with her. It really seemed like he was and she couldn't figure out why.

When the three of them pulled up in front of The Voltage Room, the line up to get into the club wasn't as long as it was the first time Hitomi had gone there to speak to Dilandau. It was an extremely cold night though, so Hitomi guessed that even if a concert were going on, there wouldn't be very many people willing to wait out in the cold.

"Wow …" Dryden said when he saw the sign. It was the purple butterfly with the words 'The Voltage Room' stretched across the front of the building. "It's true then. Folken really was in love with your aunt, Hitomi."

"Yeah, it's true," Hitomi said as she gave Dryden directions as to where to park.

"Are you sure you only came here twice?" Van asked her coldly.

"Yeah, I only came twice," Hitomi said dazedly. She was too busy looking at the searchlights. She couldn't help but be a little bit excited.

"So, how do you recommend we get in? Standing in line would suck," Dryden said, pulling his keys out of the ignition and getting out.

"My name used to be on the guest list, so when I went and introduced myself to the bouncers, I got in right away. We'll just have to go see if my name is still on the guest list, although it wouldn't surprise me if Folken removed it. Last time I was here I trashed their kitchen, so he reprimanded me. But we could still try it."

Dryden looked at the line up. "Well, I don't think they're letting anyone new in, so we may as well give your plan a go. If not, I guess I'll have to go in by myself. No doubt the bouncers know Van, so if they won't let us in knowing who we are …"

"We'll have to rough them up," Van said quickly, interrupting Dryden and proposing a completely different tactic. "There's no need to be subtle. This is a smash and grab job."

Dryden didn't say anything in response to that and Hitomi wondered how he was reacting to Van taking control like that. Hitomi didn't want a scene if it could be avoided, so she hurried in front of Van and Dryden so that she would be the first one to speak with the bouncers at the door.

"Hi guys!" she said cheerfully as she came up to them. At least one was familiar to her. "Is there a show going on tonight?"

The guy nodded. "Are you on the list?"

"Sure am!" she winked as Van and Dryden joined her. "Hitomi Kanzaki," she said, hoping that the guy would just let them in without asking too many questions.

He moved the velvet roll out of their way and let them enter without too much fuss, but just as they entered she heard him talk to someone on his headset. He was probably informing his boss that he had just let them in.

Even though it was easily colder than minus twenty degrees Celsius outside, Folken still managed to pull in an excellent crowd for one of his concerts. The place didn't look less crowded than when Hitomi had been there the last time. Hordes of people were amassed up against the stage, and there was Folken. He had told Hitomi that there was no way he'd get back on a stage with his current haircut; however, it looked like he had done it anyway. He was wearing a black bandana across his forehead to make the most of his straight-laced haircut. He was also wearing a black fitted shirt with long sleeves that covered his entire tattoo. Hitomi guessed that he didn't want his fans to see it.

It was hot in the club and Hitomi unzipped her winter jacket. She even contemplated taking it off, but Van said that they weren't going to stay long, so she left it on.

Folken's voice was just as translucent as it had been every other time she had heard him sing, and now that she really knew it was him, his voice caught her by surprise even more. He was really good – deep and mellow. He held the microphone in his hand like a professional. It was no wonder the place was thronged.

_I'm looking for a love  
Or am I dreaming?  
I'm looking for someone like you  
To keep me breathing_

Van grabbed Hitomi by the arm and jerked her towards him. The look on his face was one of raging jealousy and anger. Hitomi gulped. She had been staring up at the stage. This was the first time that Van's temper had been directed towards her. Before, he had always had another target – never her. Slowly, slowly, Hitomi was learning that Van could be a really scary person. She thought about her goal to protect him. She had to keep his heart warm.

_  
And every woman I've been through  
Had me believing  
That there is no one like you  
_

"Did you dress up and come here to listen to Folken sing?" Van belted noisily over the screaming fans.

"I dressed up for you," Hitomi said quickly.

"Then where's your necklace? The protection pendant I gave you?"

"I'm wearing it," she claimed, pulling it out from its hiding place and showing it to him.

He eyed it sceptically. "And what's this cheap thing you're wearing instead?"

"Don't you like it? I thought it was shiny," she said.

Van looked like he wanted to break the necklace; but instead, he just headed towards the stage. "Let's see if we can find Naria and Eriya."

_  
So tell me why would I stop dreaming?  
And why would I despise my feelings?  
And why does my broken heart keep beating?   
Beating for you  
_

Hitomi and been pushing herself into the crowd, trying to keep up with Van, but she was also listening to the words of the song that Folken was singing. Hitomi wondered if there was anything significant about the songs he chose to sing. Even though he sounded perfect, there was something that struck Hitomi as different about his performance this time. She wanted to believe that there was no magic in the song he was singing. Maybe he was singing words from his heart and not with the intent to deceive someone. He could be singing about a woman. They said that he had been in love with Akira and that she had rejected him.

Hitomi stopped walking and looked up at Folken on the stage. He wasn't staring at the back of the room like he usually did, but he was looking straight at Hitomi. Her mouth fell open. It was the way he was looking at her. His eyes were filled with an emotion, almost akin to tears, and Hitomi realized that the song he was singing was for Akira. He had written this song for Akira after she died, and in the absence of the woman he loved, he was going to pretend Hitomi was her and sing the song for her. But the way he was looking at her made Hitomi feel like he didn't care if she was herself or Akira – he wanted her either way.

_  
Still looking for a love  
But I don't get it  
I did a lot of crazy girls  
Like a bad habit  
When I was good they turned out bad  
And finally I found  
That I've got no one to keep_

Hitomi stared at him. These lyrics were something from his soul, a tiny glimpse of the man inside of that masquerader exterior. Hitomi focused on his eyes and tried to understand. She tried to understand why Van hated him. Folken lived with regret – that much was clear. He lived an empty life. And he sang about it while staring into her eyes. In many ways, he was a broken man, but Van couldn't see it.

Hitomi pushed herself closer towards the stage and lost Van in the press of people. She wanted to talk to Folken. She wanted to ask him what exactly had happened between him and his parents to cause Van to hate him so much. From the look on Folken's face, he wanted something from her, too. If she could only talk to him then maybe they could understand each other and fix things.

_So tell me why would I stop dreaming?  
And why would I despise my feelings?  
And why does my broken heart keep beating?  
Beating for you_

Folken didn't break eye contact with Hitomi as he finished the song. He kept his eyes on her as the last beats of the electronic music echoed through the dance hall. It was like he thought that if he turned away for one second she would disappear into the mob of Dragon Slayer children.

The crowd was going insane, screaming and whistling for him.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Folken said into the microphone he was holding. "Now, if you won't mind, I'd like to ask Hitomi Kanzaki to join me on the stage." He walked to the edge of the stage and put his hand out to help Hitomi up.

Hitomi felt the sweat on the back of her neck. Folken was looking at her – his eyes warm and expectant. Not only Folken was looking, but _everyone_ in the hall was watching her and waiting for her response. With all those eyes on her she hesitated for a moment before reaching out for Folken's hand, when all of a sudden, from the other side of the room, Van hollered at the top of his lungs, "Like HELL she will!"

Folken turned his head to see Van. Then he looked back at Hitomi and gave her a disappointed look. He cleared his throat and spoke into his microphone, "It seems my delightful little brother has come to visit."

Hitomi couldn't see Van from where she was standing, but she guessed that he had found Naria and Eriya because there was an excited squeal from that corner of the room at the mention of the word 'brother'. To Hitomi, that meant they hadn't known that Folken was a Tarot user. If they had known, they wouldn't be surprised.

Hitomi didn't wait for Folken, but started pushing her way towards Van and the girls. Where was Dryden? They'd all have to work together to make Naria and Eriya understand that Folken was … Van said he was a monster – a double-crossing bastard who murdered his own parents. While looking in Folken's eyes, Hitomi couldn't believe that he was really that bad. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding. They just had to convince Naria and Eriya to come talk about things before doing anything rash.

Folken brought his microphone back up to his lips and said clearly to his fans, since his eye contact with Hitomi was broken, "We'll be taking a break. I'll have to let our house D.J. take over for a few tracks, but don't worry kittens. I'll be back to finish the second half."

Hitomi and Folken made it to where Van and Dryden and the twins were at almost the exact same moment – Folken was a little faster.

"What's going on here?" he asked, seeing Van nearly dragging Eriya along by her arm.

"I'm not leaving," she said sternly to Van, her golden hair shining red in the light show. "Why didn't you tell us you had a brother? We asked you often enough!"

"You are such an amazing singer!" Naria said, glowing rosy pink as she spoke to Folken for the first time.

Folken looked very carefully at her for a moment with slitted eyes. He deliberately looked at her bare legs and exposed throat, and Naria was turning perfectly red under this examination. Dryden had obviously never looked at her that way. Hitomi wondered if anyone ever had since her reaction was so honestly flattered.

Van stood and clenched his teeth. He looked trapped and one hundred percent pissed off. With all these extra people in the room, there was no way Van could have a one-on-one fight with Folken, and Hitomi knew that Van didn't want to hurt unnecessary people. Angry as he was - downright fuming mad as he was, there was no way he'd attack Folken here. What managed to make him even madder was that Folken seemed to be aware of this fact and was not looking at Van as though he even mattered. He was still examining Naria like she was a work of art that could actually be taken out to dinner.

Then Folken brought his hand up to Naria's face and pushed her bangs away from her forehead. He saw that the cuts she had received when she hit her head on the display case were not totally gone.

"You must be the little girl who got the opal for her symbol, right?" Folken asked, his eyes came open now, and they were decidedly friendly and flirtatious.

Naria nodded, and introduced herself and her sister. They explained that they were excited to meet him since he was Van's brother. Eriya even had the nerve to drop the comment, "But he's already contract bound."

"To Hitomi?" Folken asked, glancing at Hitomi as though she had betrayed him.

Hitomi returned Folken's look levelly. She hadn't sought to have an affair with him. He had been the one to hit on her! She had nothing to be ashamed of.

But the exchange was quickly over and Folken was saying, "Well, I'm The Sorcerer, and I'm pleased to meet you. It's a new experience for me to have Tarot girls to party with. Care to come up to my private room for the rest of the concert? It's got a great view of the stage."

Naria and Eriya looked ecstatic.

Dryden was standing behind Hitomi, but it didn't look like he was going to interfere. He was looking at the floor like it was someone's fresh grave.

Van was on the verge of exploding. "No, Naria, Eriya – this guy is a monster! You don't want anything to do with him! You don't know what he's capable of. Like I said before, this is not a place you go to 'hang out'!"

"I think that's enough out of you!" Folken said, and then the most unusual thing happened. Folken said a few words through clenched teeth. Hitomi wasn't sure, but they sounded like he said, "I wish all three of you would leave my house!"

The next thing Hitomi knew, she, Van and Dryden were sitting on their butts in the snow outside the back door of The Voltage Room. Hitomi jumped up – it was freaking cold!

There was someone standing at the back door, holding it open. It was one of the bouncers who let them in. "Hitomi, Mr. Fanel has asked me to tell you that your name will no longer appear on his guest list after tonight." Then he slammed the door shut and Hitomi heard the click of the dead bolt.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Dang it," she mouthed.

"I don't know what your frickin' problem is," Van said to Hitomi bitterly. He had allowed his body to fall backwards and he was lying in the snow.

"Excuse me!" Hitomi asked, trying to be polite, but Van sounded hostile and she had just been chucked into the snow. She wasn't in a good mood anymore and it showed in her voice.

"Oh just you and your … he asked you on stage and from where I was standing it looked like he started singing his stupid song right at you and you just looked like you were melting at the sound of his bloody voice. It looked like you were even planning on going with him. Damn you, Hitomi! Not only should you not be talking to Folken, but I was distracted by you during that last minute and didn't get the chance I needed to persuade Naria and Eriya to come back to the mansion with us!"

"You are mad at me about that? How could that be _my_ fault?" she retorted furiously. "You should have been concentrating on them then, if saving them was your goal."

"How could you say that? Of course you're more important to me. Of course! But still," Van paused before bellowing, "How could you dress up to come hear _him_ sing?"

"I told you that I didn't do anything for him, besides, you make it sound like I dressed myself in something revealing for his benefit. I'm wearing a black T-shirt. It's not slutty or anything. And …" Hitomi stormed, "… I didn't even take off my coat!"

Van's eyed narrowed and he looked like he was going to start again when something caught his attention, "Dryden, where are you going?"

Dryden was standing and appeared to be heading back to the car. At Van's voice he turned back and said without emotion, "This isn't my fight. I'll wait for you in the car. When you've stopped bickering we can talk about how we ended up out on our asses in a snowdrift. Whenever you're ready." Dryden waved and disappeared around the corner of the club, leaving Van and Hitomi alone under the extra darkness the alleyway afforded.

Seconds ticked by with neither of them speaking.

"Isn't this childish?" Hitomi asked first.

"What?" Van asked.

"Our argument? I mean, we clearly can't control what Naria and Eriya do with their time and their lives. You tried. Isn't that good enough?" Hitomi asked, trying to at least meet him half way.

"I might be too angry to talk to you about this right now. One day, I'm going to have to fight Naria and Eriya again and it's going to be nearly impossible. I know it. Dryden said those girls' true power is probably magic. So, not only have we given Folken a woman to bind in a contract, but we've given him two Tarot users to train with his magic and be on his side. I have this sick, sick, sick feeling that this is worse than anything else that could have happened. I would have loved to slit his throat on sight, but with all those witnesses, and my power not fully developed … I couldn't do it. And there you were … fucking flirting with him!" Van shouted. Hitomi had never heard him angry enough to use that kind of language. This was a new Van … someone cold and bloodthirsty and angry as the fires of hell. "Run Hitomi! Run and get in the car with Dryden. I'll make it back to the mansion some time, but one thing is for certain. When I do come back, I won't be in bed with you!"

"You're _that_ angry?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah! I'm THAT angry! Run! Before I say something worse!" Van bellowed turning away from her.

Hitomi stood there in the snow for a second. No matter how pissed off he was, she couldn't leave him here. She did up her coat and tried to think of something to say that would get through to him. The snow around him was melting rapidly because he was so hot. He needed to relax and cool down. Hitomi reached into her coat pockets and pulled out her mittens. She put them on. Maybe he would forgive her for being childish. After all, she was only eighteen.

Hitomi slowly reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. It was really cold, so it wasn't sticking together very well, but Hitomi did her best and made a snowball. Then she deliberately wound up and winged it at Van. She could tell he hadn't been expecting it because she got him square on the back of his neck.

He flinched. It was melting on contact, becoming instant water and soaking his clothes. There was even steam rising from him.

She was _so_ dead!

Van's hand reached to grab some snow to retaliate with, but his hand was so hot that the snow melted before he could close his fingers. He couldn't use ice either, because he was too angry.

"Self control?" Hitomi thought. "Dryden said that self control was something that ice was associated with. It's no wonder Van can't use it. He's too angry." She crouched on the ground and formed another snowball in her hands. "You're gonna have to cool down if you want to fight me, Van, because there's no way I'm leaving you here," she said out loud. Then she hit his back with another snowball.

Van got up and tried to pick up some more snow, but his hands were just too hot. The water fell through his fingers like fast sand.

Hitomi started making another snowball. "And what's this talk about leaving me to sleep alone? That doesn't sound very sensible when I tried so hard to be attractive to you tonight. You don't take me on dates often, you know. I can't help getting a little excited when we actually do go out, even if it's just business to you," she said, chucking the formed ball at his head.

He ducked. "Why!" he choked, looking at her for the first time since he had told her to run away from him. Even in the dim light, she could tell that his face was very red. "Why didn't you stay close to me when we were in there?"

"I was listening to his song," Hitomi admitted. "I think he wrote it for Akira."

Van shook his head and turned away. "And you won't let me 'cool off' by myself?"

"No!" Hitomi said throwing her arms around him and hugging him warmly. "But if you persist in being angry about Naria and Eriya, I'll have to give you a face wash," she said, showing him the snow in her mitten. "And if you keep thinking that I want other men besides you, I'll have to take you home and prove you wrong."

"Dryden's mansion is not our home," Van said quickly, focusing on the wrong part of Hitomi's sentence. "I already spoke to Dryden about this. I'm uncomfortable living there, but he says that there is no other place in the city as convenient for training, so we might as well stay until I master all eight elements. I asked him if I could pay rent or something, but he says he won't have it. He says he's still trying to figure out a wedding present for us, and we have to stay free of charge until he figures 'something' out. I hope you feel the same way I do, but I don't think being coddled at Dryden's mansion is a good thing for us. I'm not rich like he is, so I'll be ashamed when I ask you to move into a more modest home after we've stayed there for so long. I have to master all eight as quickly as possible to avoid … complications."

"When we move, it'll be better for us," Hitomi said, still clutching the snow in her hand. "I'd rather live in a home that was ours. I'd rather cook for you and … Van?"

"Yeah."

"What's our life going to be like?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," Van said, and for the first time that evening he sounded calm, almost hopeful.

There wasn't much reason for Hitomi to ask him what would happen when his age finally caught up with him. They both knew that it would eventually happen. He would die and she never would. Hitomi tried not to think about it. It didn't do any good and it was so far in the future. She caught herself thinking about her children more than Van. How would things be with her children? Would she have to watch them grow old and die? Would Van? She tightened her arms around him.

"Please, come home with me," she whispered. "I love you and I don't like seeing you like this. You love me too, right? You don't want to leave me alone for one more night, do you?"

"No, I don't want to leave you alone. I might have overreacted just now. If so, I'm sorry, but I didn't like how you looked at Folken one bit, and I guess I still haven't let go of the idea that he tried to make you his … It still feels strange to me that you're mine, after so much dreaming, you still seem impossible to me. If you say that you aren't interested in him … I'll trust you. Maybe my belief in you can become a passion of mine," he said, putting his bare hand in Hitomi's. It was the hand that was clutching a heap of snow. The crystals didn't melt when he touched them, and he emptied the snow out of her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Author's Notes: Hi everybody! Sorry this is so long in coming. I would have updated on Thursday, except that for some unknown reason, the system wouldn't let me upload any documents. So, now I get to upload the chapter! 

My comments aren't going to be long today, special thanks to Kaytala for beta reading and for everyone WHO REVIEWS! It makes a really BIG difference to me. Thank you to everybody who takes the time.

My forum for this chapter has been up for a couple days, so it's a little muddled too. Sorry about that too.

* * *


	6. Abaharaki Revival?

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but I definitely wrote this story. It's MINE!Mwahahahahaha!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Six**

**Abaharaki Revival?**

Van opened the back door of Dryden's SUV for Hitomi and helped her inside. Then he got into the front.

Dryden was leaning back in the driver's seat with his eyes closed. There was a C.D. playing. He was listening to a jazz piece. The sound of a saxophone was ringing through the speakers.

"You were faster than I expected," Dryden commented, yawning. He opened his eyes and started the vehicle. "Well, let's go then."

"You said you were going to explain about what just happened," Hitomi reminded Dryden before Van got after him for yet another comment on their love life. "Why did we get thrown out of The Voltage Room? Does it have something to do with Folken being 'The Sorcerer'?"

"Not at all," Dryden said, inching out of the space where he had parallel parked. "This is something that every Tarot user can do, though it's not easy. It seems that Folken used his blood in the construction of The Voltage Room."

"His blood?" Hitomi asked, wondering exactly how powerful Tarot user blood really was. It seemed to be at the core of everything.

"Hitomi, don't sound so shocked. How else do you think Van made you your protection pendant?"

Hitomi leaned forward between the two front seats and gaped. Then she pulled the stone out from its hiding place under her shirt and looked at it. It was a light pink colour though she couldn't see it properly in the dim light of the moving SUV. It had always been translucent and clear, coral coloured and misty. It made sense to her that it was pink now that she knew it was made with Van's blood.

"Van, how did you make this?" Hitomi asked him, and wondered why she had been satisfied with his lame explanation of where it had come from. He had only said that he'd made it.

"Well, I …" Van started, and then he stopped.

"Go ahead," Dryden encouraged, giving him a knowing sideways glance. "I'd like to hear how you made it as well."

What did Dryden know about the pendant that Hitomi didn't?

Van gave Dryden a dirty look.

"Ah, come on! Tell us!" Dryden continued.

Van turned his head away and looked out the window, like he wasn't going to answer.

But Dryden wouldn't be deflected by something like Van's silence. "If you don't tell …"

"Fine! I didn't make the stone," Van admitted irritably. "I put the stone on the chain, but I didn't make it. The stone was made by Balgus." Van sighed and when he continued, he was calmer, although he was definitely still annoyed. "He originally made it into a necklace for Flo, but it didn't work the way it was supposed to because she isn't a Tarot user. She wore it all the time when I was little, but the chain broke and for some reason she never bothered to have it fixed. Then later, when I told her that I had fallen for this girl who was also a Tarot user, she got the rock out and gave it to me to give to the girl I loved. Flo told me what it was and explained how it was supposed to work, and why it never worked on her. So I put it on a new chain and experimented with it a little to make sure that I had a good mental link with it before I gave it to Hitomi. Are you satisfied, Dryden? Are you happy now?"

"Perfectly," Dryden said smugly.

"Oh, I see," Hitomi said, feeling a little disappointed and grossed out that she had some stranger's blood around her neck for the past few months. If it had been Van's blood, then that would have been one thing, but Balgus' …

"Sorry, Hitomi," Van said, sounding sincerely repentant. "If I had known how to make a new one, I would have made one for you."

"Anyway," Dryden said, continuing. "When you put your blood into an inanimate object during its construction it is to give yourself … the ability to grant yourself and anyone in your bloodline, a wish."

"A wish?" Hitomi asked, not yet understanding what Dryden was trying to explain.

"Well, not just any wish. When Balgus made that pendant, his wish was probably to protect the one he loved. A protection pendant is the most commonly constructed item in our history. Usually … and you can correct me if I'm wrong, Hitomi, but usually, it works in two ways. One way is that it alerts the person who made it that the person they love who is wearing the pendant is in trouble, and the second way is that it alerts the person wearing it when they are in danger. Is that right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Hitomi said.

"Van, you said it didn't work the way it was supposed to when Flo wore it. How was it malfunctioning?"

"I don't know," Van confessed, sounding blue. "I didn't ask, she didn't tell."

Dryden scowled for a moment, and then his face brightened and he went on. "It's not that it particularly matters. I was only interested, but if you have the chance, please ask her. I'd very much like to know why it didn't work properly." He paused. "Well, Van's able to use the pendant like he made it because he's Balgus's nephew and one of his heirs, so it will work for Van. That's one way that we, as Tarot users, can pass things down to our descendants – through objects. My dad, for instance … well, I'll explain about that in a moment. Folken obviously wants to have at least one place that he's safe, so that was probably his wish as he poured his blood into the cement mixer. At least, I think that's what he had on his mind. That explains why he didn't care if Hitomi came and went at her pleasure. Since he could throw her out whenever he wanted to anyway."

Hitomi felt tired. That was why Folken had been so upset about her trashing the kitchen in The Voltage Room that time! It was his home. His one place where he was safe, but if he could make her leave whenever he wanted to then why didn't he? Ah, he was on the stage singing. He couldn't say the words to throw her out.

"Why are you such an expert on all this?" Van asked Dryden suddenly. "And how did you know about the cement mixer?"

"Well, my father liked to pour his blood into cement mixers. He probably did it with every building owned by his corporation, and also every one of his mansions. It's because his symbol is earth. People who have earth as one of their elements are naturally obsessive and can wish far more powerfully than Tarot users who have other elements. I said it was useless, but that's only because I didn't like the way my father used it. He used to take me along with him when he went to the construction site. I was a really small child and watching him cut his arm with his special knife was really creepy, especially since he was so old. But he wanted me to know how to control the buildings when he died, so I guess he got what he wanted."

"What sorts of things did he wish for?" Hitomi asked, definitely curious.

Dryden hesitated. "Actually, I'd rather not explain. What Folken seems to have wished for was extremely humble compared to what my father used to wish for. My father used to stand there with his blood dripping, reading through a list of all the things he wanted to get from the building. I believe it was several pages long. However, by the time I was born, my father was an expert at it. He's been doing it for decades. This was probably Folken's first time. And like I said before - it's not easy. That's why I didn't think Van had actually made your protection pendant. It seemed a little advanced for him."

"Hey!" Van shouted, indignant.

"Tut tut. It's not your fault, so please try not to be so defensive."

"But more importantly," Hitomi interrupted. "Could Folken use my pendant to learn where I am – Van has used it that way."

Here, Van definitely perked up.

"Very good, Hitomi. Yes, it's totally possible that Folken would be able to use it as well as Van if he ever got a hold of it for long enough to establish a mental link. He hasn't had that chance, has he, Hitomi?"

"What does 'establishing a mental link' constitute exactly? I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, he'd have to hold it in his hands, touch it, feel it and dedicate the whole appearance of the object to memory. Establishing the link isn't hard. It's not impossible for even the greenest of us. The hard part is making the object in the first place. He'd basically just have to play with it, bang it against his forehead, flip it between his fingers, and warm it in his hand. Has he had the chance to do something like that, Hitomi?"

Hitomi scanned her memory. "No," she said at last. "I don't think so. He's had the opportunity if he wanted it, but I don't remember him touching the necklace."

"That's good," Dryden said.

"So technically," Van said soberly. "I should be able to walk into The Voltage Room and order the building to kick everyone of those Dragon Slayer kids out on their butts, and then I could torch the building?" Van asked, always catching the most damaging of Dryden's implications.

Dryden shrugged his shoulders like a long-suffering guardian. "Yes, that's entirely possible; but not because you're brothers, but because you've had a blood transfusion. Your blood is in him; his blood is in you. However, I'd prefer it if you didn't go that far. I've been trying to think up a way to end all this trouble without you turning into a raving lunatic, and I'm close, so don't do a thing before I figure something out. Got it?"

"I don't take orders from you," Van said, his eyes narrowing, and his voice colder than brandished steel.

"You want to down their whole organization with as little bloodshed as possible, right?" Dryden asked, sounding like he'd had enough.

Van rested his head on his fist and sounded infinitely more reasonable when he spoke next. "I'm not going to drive back to The Voltage Room to try it out tonight, if that's what you're wondering. What kind of idiot do you take me for? I'm waiting to make my move against Folken, but not because of you. I have to finish learning how to use all eight elements and then I'll do what I want … with as little loss of life as possible. So, you have whatever time that gives you."

"How generous," Dryden remarked. "Anyway," he said after a pause. "I've got some books on making wishes with your blood if you're interested in learning how to do it – either of you. Like I said, my mansion is built with the same magic, so it's not impossible – especially not for you, Van. I have a little experience with it too because of my mansion, though I've never 'kicked anyone out on their butt' before," he said using Van's words to tease him.

"Why do you always have to be so bleeding irritating?" Van groaned, resting his chin in his other hand and looking out the window.

Just then Dryden caught Hitomi's eyes in the rearview mirror and he winked at her. She looked back at him and she got his meaning – he was teasing Van on purpose.

Dryden's understanding of people floored Hitomi. He just seemed to understand people and exactly what they needed. Dryden knew that Hitomi was trying to keep Van's heart warm and he was trying his best to help her, by joking, by keeping the conversation light, and by trying to help her find a way to end things with Folken without bloodshed. He even knew how to pluck Van's strings in just the right way so that he didn't suspect Dryden's motives. That was what Dryden had been doing all along.

That night when Dryden told her who she really was, he promised that he would always help her. He was keeping his promise to her perfectly.

Hitomi wanted to throw her arms around Dryden's neck and tell him that she loved him, but she couldn't. Van was right beside him and there's no way he would understand her feelings – not after what had just happened in The Voltage Room.

Hitomi sat back and looked at the two men. She thought that Van was definitely the better looking of the two. Dryden was tall and dark, not that Van wasn't, but there was something in Dryden's masculinity that was overpowering for Hitomi. Maybe it was his obvious experience and knowledge about women. He knew way more about women than Hitomi ever cared to know. She wasn't grossed out by him anymore, though. He was The Lover, so he couldn't help being that way.

Van, on the other hand, was lighter physically and he was definitely the more agile of the two. Van was … tortured. His past hurt him so much. His anger towards Folken was a heavy weight on his shoulders and it made him so intense. Hitomi wanted to see his eyes clear, but instead they were always clouded by resentment and feelings that he had lived with so long that he couldn't seem to shake them, no matter how soft and gentle Hitomi's love for him was.

Dryden was more genki, but Hitomi couldn't prefer him to Van. The blacker Van's moods became, the more she wanted to purify him and keep him safe.

* * *

The next day, Hitomi was in one of Dryden's studies looking for her mother's email address at work on one of the computers when Van came in. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a tan coloured sweater with a red stripe across the front. In his hand, he was carrying a cordless phone. He paced the room a couple of times before he finally set the phone down on the desk. Then he turned around without saying anything and began pacing the room again. Something was obviously on his mind. 

"Hey Baby," Hitomi said, raising her eyebrow and looking at him quizzically. "What's up?"

He cracked his knuckles and then his neck. "I just got off the phone … with Allen."

"Allen? How are things going?"

"Apparently, he had some news. I hadn't tried to contact him since we got here, because frankly – I didn't want to talk to him. I was really pissed off with him about the whole Marlene thing, and I honestly didn't think they'd have any trouble."

Hitomi started up from her chair.

"No, don't worry. Dilandau hasn't been after Celena or anything. Allen just had this 'thing' that he wanted to tell me, but he wanted to tell me in person. I said I wouldn't see him, and that any news he had hardly mattered anymore since I already did what he wanted for him, saving his sister and such. It was kind of an ugly conversation, but then he finally told me what he wants."

"Which is?" Hitomi asked.

"He wants to resurrect the Abaharaki," Van answered.

Even though Hitomi didn't want to admit it, with the exception of Eries, Hitomi was only too glad to let her Abaharaki days fall behind her. She hadn't been treated well by Merle or Flo and she was still pretty annoyed at Allen for being so free and easy with Marlene.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him there was no reason for us to do anything like that. He got his sister back, so he had no reason to go after Dilandau. He said he did, and that was what he wanted to talk to me about in person."

"What?" Hitomi asked, feeling nervous.

"He says Celena is pregnant," Van said, looking like he was trying to drop the news to Hitomi as gently as possible.

Hitomi was shocked, and perhaps because of it she asked bluntly, "Why wasn't she on the pill? Or something?"

"Allen said that Dilandau had been after her for some time to have his child and Celena had always avoided conceiving, but when the Dragon Slayers had Allen locked up they told her that if she didn't cooperate with Dilandau then they'd hurt or kill Allen."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah, it really is, considering that Celena's a drug addict. Dilandau made her quit before they started trying and her withdrawal, according to Allen, was brutal. Dilandau wouldn't let her conceive a child that was obviously going to be messed up from the start and went through every effort to make sure her body was ready. Who's to say that it was enough though? They didn't have a lot of time in those six weeks they had Allen locked up. Allen says Celena has very bad morning sickness and that she throws up all day. Eries is nursing her day and night, but it doesn't stop her from being in really bad shape," Van explained, sounding genuinely sorrowful.

"Do you really think that they'll be safe in Rose Hill? If she's carrying Dilandau's child, don't you think he'll come after her for sure?" Hitomi asked.

"Maybe so, but Allen needs to change his attitude about involving other people in our personal quests. Until he does, I won't do a thing to help him. He's the kind of guy you give a little to and he'll keel haul you," Van said unyieldingly.

"This isn't about Allen," Hitomi retorted. "I'm no less pissed off with him than you are. I'm worried about Celena. Helping Celena doesn't mean helping Allen with his revenge. If she's pregnant and sick, then we should bring her here, so that she can be taken care of properly, and you heard what Dryden said about the mansion. This building is probably the safest place for her on the planet if Dilandau comes after her. Don't you think? It could protect her from even Folken!"

"You do have a point there," Van agreed, pushing his hair out of his face and stalking through the room again. "We'll have to get Dryden's permission, though. We can't just invite people to his house."

"Just leave it to me! I'll convince him," Hitomi said, getting up from the desk and heading for the door.

"Hey, don't you want me to come with you?" Van asked, when Hitomi opened the door and appeared to be leaving without him.

"Of course," she said taking his hand and kissing his cheek lightly. "I always want you with me."

Hitomi and Van went to find Dryden. He was sitting by the pool watching Selphie swim. He was sitting at one of the tables with a laptop in front of him. Apparently, he was still working hard.

Hitomi explained what Dilandau had done and how unprotected and sick Celena was, and immediately Dryden was convinced that she needed to be brought to the mansion.

"Well, I don't know this Dilandau guy from a hole in the wall, but if he's rude enough to pull that kind of stunt … argh," Dryden said crankily, tossing a rubber ball into the pool. "I can't stand those kinds of guys. What a jackass! Anyway, there's no way we should leave her and the others in Rose Hill. They'll have to come here at once."

"You don't mind?" Van asked, still a little uncertain.

"Of course not. That idiot … Dilandau," Dryden said, searching for the correct name. "He probably doesn't know where she is right now, but it's only a matter of time before he finds out. When that happens there's no way she'll be protected in such an isolated place. If she's involved in a big-to-do she could lose the baby. We have to stop that from happening, so all of them should definitely come here. Should we send a car for them?" Dryden asked quickly, going a little over-the-top in the same fashion all rich men do.

"No," Van said. "I'll just call Allen back and invite them to come. I don't think Allen will refuse me since he was so anxious to see me in person, and I think they have transportation aplenty."

"So, there's Eries, Gaddes, Celena, and Allen?" Dryden asked.

Hitomi nodded.

"Excellent. I'll go speak to housekeeping about getting their rooms ready." Then suddenly, Dryden turned and looked at Van. "You know, I didn't think you'd come to me with a problem like this, but I'm glad to see you've gotten over your stigma about my money. It only has value to me in as much as I can help those around me. So if your friends need help, I'm only too pleased to help them."

"Thanks, Dryden," Van said. "I appreciate it."

And with that, Dryden walked away.

"See? You two get along sometimes," Hitomi pointed out.

"Yeah … sometimes. He sure is a weird guy though, isn't he?" Van said, looking at the place by the door Dryden had just occupied. Then he turned back to Hitomi. "Well, I've got to go call Allen. He'll think I'm being moody since I keep blowing hot and cold."

* * *

Author's Notes: Hiya crew! Yeah, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I had something extremely important going on in my 'real life' that required most of my brain power. So, I had none to spare for my other interests. I'm back now, and all that. Update day might not be Thursday from now on. I'm not sure how I plan for that to go. I'll just update when I can and see how that goes. Keeping to a schedule is all good, and I plan to settle into one again, but for the time being - my 'real life' is still a little chaotic, so I don't want to make promises I can't keep. 

Thanks to Kaytala for beta reading. She's such a good sport. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and wrote in the forum, and an extremely special thanks to everyone who wrote me and told me to stop being a brat and update because the story is too good to drop during the break. I really appreciate all that love. Cheers!


	7. Poolside Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I'm just here for the chance to write.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Poolside Confessions**

The next day Hitomi watched Allen help Celena up the front steps of Dryden's mansion. Gaddes and Eries were coming up behind them. Celena's face was pale and pasty. It was an extremely cold November day and snow was blowing off the roof onto Allen and Celena's blonde heads. Allen was carrying a bucket and surprisingly, Celena had to make use of it before she even made it into the front hall. Hitomi was watching from the window in Selphie's bedroom. She and Selphie kindly turned their eyes away until Celena was finished.

Selphie had not left the mansion yet and Hitomi noticed that her clothes were still hanging in the closet like she had no intention of going anywhere. Granted the week she had given Dryden as a probationary time period was not up yet, but since Naria and Eriya were gone, things seemed to have settled back into their old routine, or something close to it. There was still something wrong between Dryden and Selphie. Hitomi remembered what Dryden had said. Selphie wanted him to do something and he couldn't do it yet, so they were in limbo. Van thought that Selphie wanted to marry Dryden and that Dryden was dragging his heels. Was their problem something like that?

Selphie looked genuinely sad as they watched Celena come up the rest of the stairs.

Hitomi sighed and linked arms with Selphie and took her to go meet everyone in the front hall.

Eries was the most welcoming as she sparkled a little at the sight of Hitomi. "Hitomi!" she called, sounding delighted. "I'm so happy to see you! I've been excited since Allen told me that you were staying here too."

Hitomi glanced at Van, who was leaning against the banister with a grouchy expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed and he was giving Allen an evil glare. "Yeah, I'm staying here," Hitomi said to Eries. So, Van had told them that she was staying there too. It didn't look like he'd explained they were married. Eries would have said something if Van had let the cat out of the bag. Well, Hitomi would have fun letting it come to light in the course of their stay.

"I've really missed you," Eries said, hugging Hitomi.

Then Dryden made his appearance. He came in and put his arms around Selphie's middle and nuzzled her neck. Hitomi stared. Usually Dryden had better tact than this. What was he doing?

"Yo, Dryden!" Hitomi balked, confused at his odd manners. Where was 'the perfect host' when they needed him?

"Oh?" he said, raising his eyes and acting like he just realized there were other people in the room besides him and Selphie. Then he introduced himself and presented the maids and the housekeeper who would be taking care of Celena. He basically organized everyone like he was a camp director and everyone was just going to have a jolly time at his mansion, especially Celena, who could barely hold herself up. Dryden was thinking of hiring a certified nurse to take care of her and he said so. "To see a beautiful woman sick grieves me," he said romantically, observing her tired eyes.

But Celena withdrew herself from him like she didn't think he was for real.

Hitomi saw Allen's eyebrow twitch. "Van?" he asked, looking to where Van was still regarding him angrily. The question, 'Where did you find this guy?' was clearly written across Allen's features. No matter who Allen thought was acceptable to hit on, a nauseous pregnant woman was obviously not on his list.

"You said you wanted my help," Van reminded him, smiling sardonically. "This is the best place to take care of Celena. So behave yourself and be gracious. This guy might not look like a good host, but he's actually sort of all right."

"'Sort of all right'?" Dryden repeated, looking pained. "Oh Van, what cruel words you say."

Van clenched his fist together and muttered, "Don't 'Oh Van' me or I'll …"

"I know. I know. I know, or you'll actually finish that threat you've had on your tongue since you got here," Dryden said, looking cheerful again and changing the subject. "Eries, Gaddes, Allen, Celena – this is Selphie. She's my woman, so don't even think that I'm available."

"Why would I care if you're available?" Gaddes barked, seeming unable to control himself.

"It's just a precaution, so that you don't think that I'll hit on your woman while you're not looking," Dryden said, indicating Eries.

Hitomi blinked. Eries and Gaddes were a couple now? Since when? How did that happen? Oh yeah, Hitomi had forgotten that the winds seemed to be blowing in that direction before she got kicked out of the Abaharaki.

"Could I … please … sit down?" Celena asked Allen quietly.

With that Dryden seemed to wake up from his foolishness and realize that it was hard for Celena to stand like that. He hurriedly got Celena settled into a room on the main floor, far away from the kitchens and close to the laundry. Hitomi didn't understand.

"Dryden, why is Celena's room so far away from the kitchens? What if she needs something in the night?" she asked him afterwards when she managed to get him alone for a moment.

"Are you kidding? I'm doing her a favour! She's got morning sickness; all the fragrances involved in cooking are disgusting to her. Smelling the wrong thing might make her throw up," Dryden said briskly.

"How did you get to know so much about pregnant women?" Hitomi asked, impressed with his practical knowledge about women.

"I'm trying to reach my potential and become wise. Do you think I'm getting closer?"

"Then why did you make that display in front of everyone with Selphie earlier? That made no sense. Why couldn't you have just come in and acted like you usually do, confident and … I don't know – not like the man-whore I first took you for."

"You thought I was a man-whore?" Dryden asked, looking into her eyes almost like he was genuinely hurt.

"Well, yeah," Hitomi said, colouring uncomfortably. "Or something like that."

"Don't worry about it," Dryden said, looking relaxed and smiling. "It's probably better that you thought something like that. It's good encouragement for me not to be like that. However, today my behaviour was intentional. Selphie hasn't been feeling special lately and I want to go the extra mile for her. And … I really do make quite a strong impression on the women around me. I wanted both Eries and Celena to think I'm an idiot, so that they don't get any ideas. I have this way of totally screwing up perfectly fine relationships wherever I go. Most of the time, it's not on purpose, so sometimes I have to go out of my way to ensure that it doesn't happen. Especially Eries and Gaddes – really cute couple, aren't they?"

"Yeah, how did you know about that?" Hitomi asked.

"I'm 'The Lover'. I told you, it's part of my abilities to be able to tell who's with whom. It makes going to parties very interesting. It would disgust you if I told you how many people cheat."

* * *

That night, Dryden fed everyone dinner and then took them to his billiard room. He had an air hockey table, pinball machines and naturally, a pool table. Van and Allen played pool angrily all night. Van was kicking Allen's butt and Allen seemed to be getting madder and madder.

Dryden mixed Selphie little mocktails at the bar and treated her like she was his exotic treasure. Hitomi guessed that he was trying to convince her not to leave at the end of the week. Hitomi looked at her skeptically. She didn't know if Selphie would give in to Dryden's charms.

Eries hung out for a few minutes, and then she headed for Celena's room and didn't come back. Gaddes let her go with a kiss. Then he sat in an armchair and read a magazine.

Hitomi was tempted to follow Eries and go see Celena. Sitting at the bar with Dryden and Selphie wasn't fun, though Dryden made a strawberry smoothie for her. It was hard to be cheerful when everything Dryden and Selphie said to each other was in Italian and the air between Allen and Van was almost explosive. Hitomi had hardly slipped off her stool to go join Eries when Allen snapped.

"I don't have special powers!" Allen rasped after Van sunk another eight ball. "I can't do everything by myself. I need help. Why can't you understand that?"

"I understand perfectly well," Van said, his dark eyebrows pulled together. "You think it's okay to ask high school girls for help."

"You're still mad about Marlene? Like I told you, I didn't get the chance to break up with her. Hitomi was there and she stopped me from even having the one second alone with her that I needed in order to break it off. It's not my fault," Allen tried to say in his defense.

"Don't even think of blaming Hitomi," Van said unyieldingly. "If you drag her into this, I won't forgive you."

"Wait," Hitomi said, interrupting. "Allen, you were breaking up with Marlene that day I caught you and Marlene going on a date?"

"Yeah," Allen said, looking dejected.

"Well, then why didn't you say that instead of acting like you were still interested in her?" Hitomi demanded, trying desperately to cut through the crap.

"Don't look at me like that," Allen said. "I just didn't want to break up with her in front of you. It would have been too humiliating for her and I didn't want to hurt her like that."

"You act like you still like her," Hitomi observed.

"He _does_," Van said coldly before Allen could say anything. "That's why we're still arguing about this. You see, Hitomi, if Allen was willing to just let her go entirely, then we wouldn't be fighting like this."

"I don't understand why you're so against this, Van," Allen said. "You clearly recruited Hitomi into the Abaharaki when she was seventeen. How is Marlene any different?"

"This is your last warning, Allen," Van said strongly, his tan looking even darker when contrasted with his white shirt. "You bring Hitomi's name into this argument one more time and I won't forgive you. Hitomi is not the same as Marlene. The situation is totally different. Besides, I waited until her involvement couldn't be avoided, unlike Marlene. There is no reason for Marlene to ever be involved in our problems."

"I don't understand the difference," Allen said hotly.

"Yeah, I don't care if you don't understand how they're different. You are asking for my help, so it's got to be given on my conditions."

Allen took a deep breath and looked like he was ready to start negotiating with Van for real, even though he clearly still thought that Van was being unreasonable. Hitomi thought that Allen must really need Van's help if he was willing to humble himself this much. "What are your conditions?" he asked.

"Well," Van said. "First, you'd have to break up with Marlene for real. I don't care what you do after she's eighteen, but you'd have to leave her alone for three years. Think you can do it?"

"That's a long time. Could anyone do it?" Allen asked, pulling the billiard balls out of the pockets and setting up another game.

"I would never ask someone to do something that I wasn't willing to do, or hadn't done myself," Van claimed.

"Is that so? What else do you want me to do?"

"Well, you'd have to go on any mission just on your own. No more shifting the weight onto others. We'd have to do all the work ourselves – just you and me."

Allen looked relieved for some reason when Van said this. Hitomi was watching Allen carefully. She wasn't sure if he'd be able to meet Van's conditions. It was completely different than the way he was used to operating.

"Anything else?" Allen asked.

"Just one more thing," Van said coolly. "You have to explain exactly what you'd like to happen. I'm not interested in going after Dilandau, no matter what he has done to Celena. My goal was to rescue Celena, not to exact revenge, so whatever happens to Dilandau is going to have to be something you do yourself, but you still have to tell me your plans, so that I know if I want to help you or not."

"That's it?" Allen asked.

"Pretty much," Van said, moving out of the way so that Allen could break.

"I'll have to think about it," Allen said, taking an elastic band from the breast pocket of his shirt and tying his hair back in a low ponytail.

"Take all the time you need," Van said, looking across at Hitomi like they shared a mutual understanding – Allen was in the doghouse until they both decided that he was out.

* * *

The next morning, Hitomi was in the indoor pool swimming laps with Selphie. Hitomi initially tried to keep up with her as they swam side by side, but it was impossible. Selphie was an excellent swimmer. Hitomi couldn't help but admire her athleticism. Soon Hitomi gave up trying to keep up and instead focused on keeping her workout as long as Selphie's.

The water was a really good temperature. Dryden said that Selphie was used to swimming in the Mediterranean. How amazing!

Hitomi floated on her back and leisurely looked up at the crystal glass ceiling. It was snowing again and it seemed distinctly wrong that she, Hitomi, should be swimming. The weather was all wrong for it, and they were so far away from the Mediterranean. People could swim there all year round. Here, outdoor pools were closed at the end of August.

When Hitomi flipped over to do the breaststroke, she saw Eries sitting on one of the deck chairs. She was watching Hitomi and Selphie swim.

Hitomi swam over to the edge and got out of the pool. Hitomi had brought a towel down from her bathroom and she dried off her face and ruffled her hair before she wrapped the towel around herself. Then she sat next to Eries and asked her cheerfully how she was doing.

"I'm great," Eries said, looking at Hitomi nervously.

"What is it?" Hitomi asked. "You're looking at me like I have two heads."

"It's nothing. It's none of my business. I just wanted to ask you …"

"Ask me what?" Hitomi persisted when Eries hesitated.

Eries was too ladylike to ask this question bluntly, and too mature to blush. Instead she turned her face away from Hitomi and asked very clearly, "If you and Van slept in the same bedroom last night?"

Hitomi had been waiting to have this conversation with Eries. It had been something she had secretly looked forward to since she and Van had gotten married. She hadn't wanted to spill the news as soon as she saw Eries the day before. She was more interested to see if Eries would pick up on the way Van treated her and thus figure out on her own that she was special to him. Unfortunately though, Eries had been very busy getting Celena settled and had spent very little time with Hitomi and Van, but Hitomi felt like she could be patient and now Eries was asking the question herself. Hitomi didn't have to wait long at all.

"What makes you think that?" Hitomi asked, intentionally indifferent.

"Well, my bedroom isn't upstairs," Eries said, turning back to Hitomi. Her eyes were accusing. "I think you know that the housekeeper prepared a room for me beside Celena's, but both Allen and Gaddes are upstairs. Just by counting doors, it's clear that everyone's not sleeping on their own. I know it's not Dryden and Selphie, because Selphie is in the front grand – as far away from Dryden's room as possible, which is weird considering how affectionate he is. But anyway – you! What are have you been doing?"

Hitomi smiled. She refused to be ruffled by Eries' attitude. Instead, she played it cool. "You've caught me red-handed." Then Hitomi even had the nerve to laugh.

"So, you loved him that bad? You decided that you didn't care if he had someone else waiting for him – you were just going to enjoy the moment?" Eries asked. Her expression was a thoughtful one instead of the reproachful one Hitomi had expected.

"No," Hitomi said. It was disappointing not to have more sport than this, but she remembered that it was Eries she was talking to. Eries was too serious to joke with for too long. "I'm afraid you've got it all wrong. You see, Van and I have been married for four months. We got married in July, two days after we went away together."

Hitomi didn't think it was possible to startle Eries, but Eries' eyes bugged out like she was part frog. "What?" she blurted.

"It's true," Hitomi said as she turned to show Eries her crescent moon tattoo. "I was always his dream girl, but he couldn't lay a finger on me until I turned eighteen, so we got married the day after my birthday."

"I'm flabbergasted!" Eries exclaimed. "Does Aunt Flo know?"

Hitomi shook her head, "She doesn't know yet. Neither Van nor I have told her."

"You _have_ to tell her. She'd be so excited."

"I seriously doubt that," Hitomi said drolly. "She doesn't like me one bit and has had no problem expressing it, as I'm sure you've noticed."

Eries paused, "But I'm sure that if she knew that you were … the girl of Van's dreams. Hitomi, are you like him?" she suddenly blurted.

Hitomi bit her lip and nodded.

"So, you're like The Dragon! And you have special powers like he does too?" Eries asked incredulously.

"I'm not exactly like Van, but yes, I'm the girl like him who has the moon as her symbol."

Eries took a deep breath, "So why did you two feel like you had to keep it a secret? If he'd told us all who you were when he brought you to Merle and mine's apartment, then things would have been so different."

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked, nearly smirking.

"Well, for one thing, Merle would have gotten the message that Van really wasn't available. You have no idea how she ate her heart out over him after he went to The Voltage Room and what a mess she was after he was shot. It was really painful for her, but if she'd known the truth about you and Van, maybe she could have begun the healing process sooner."

"What happened to her anyway? Do you know?" Hitomi asked, curious about Merle for the first time. Hitomi hadn't even thought about her.

"She still lives in the city and works at the police station. When Van showed up with Celena, she tried to come see him, but he wouldn't let her. He said it was because of his wings."

"Did you see Van with his wings?" Hitomi asked.

"Yeah," Eries said, her eyes looking wide again. "That was one of the strangest things I've ever seen in my life. Actually, it was downright terrifying."

"Please tell me about it," Hitomi urged.

"Well, he looked like … a dark angel. His black wings were at least seven meters wide. It was so scary – I can't even tell you. All my religious beliefs were challenged when he landed in Aunt Flo's yard with Celena in his arms. His eyes were black as motor oil and his shoulders were burnt black. He said he had set fire to the building the Dragon Slayers were keeping them in. He was dripping blood and Celena was unconscious when he arrived. He frightened her so deeply that she fainted. Oh, Hitomi, it was terrible!" Eries paused to collect her bearings. "Anyway, I was talking about Merle. Yeah, so Merle came to see him when the news spread that he was back, but he wouldn't see her. She cried and begged and pleaded, until finally, he opened the door to the bedroom a crack. Just a crack – no more. He wouldn't show her his wings. Instead, he showed her half his face and told her that he couldn't possibly return her feelings and it would be better if she just went home."

"Did she go?" Hitomi asked quietly. It turned out that she had more respect for Merle's feelings than she expected.

"Yeah, but she came back at least once before I went to Rose Hill with Gaddes and Celena. She said she didn't care if he loved her back – that she was going to try her best for him, but he asked her to leave again."

Hitomi nodded, "I guess I see what you mean, but Van and I had good reasons for keeping our marriage a secret."

Eries waited for Hitomi to continue.

"And they're none of your business," Hitomi said, adding that to the end of her sentence. "Sorry, Van and I have problems that have nothing to do with the Abaharaki, and I would rather not involve you in them." She paused here for a second in order to give herself a chance to introduce a new topic to the conversation. "Okay, so now I've spilled about Van and me. It's your turn to explain the whole Allen/Gaddes love triangle you've had going on."

Eries looked at the water. "I'd rather not," she said weakly.

"Why? My parents don't even know I'm married. The least you could do to repay my forwardness regarding Van and I would be to tell me what happened between you and Allen and Gaddes. I'm not going to tell anyone."

Eries looked annoyed. "I guess if you put it that way. Wait! You haven't even told your parents? What sort of daughter are you?"

Hitomi gave Eries a level expression and answered without emotion, "A daughter who loves her family enough to try to keep them safe from unnecessary problems. Don't pretend to understand Van and I. We are not normal and the kinds of things we choose to do make perfect sense to us, even though they seem crazy to everyone watching us. I haven't even got to graduate from high school. I've missed out on graduating from grade twelve twice now, and I got married when I was eighteen. In case you haven't noticed, these are not things that normal people do, but they are perfect for Van and I. I'm pretty sick of people asking me these kinds of questions when I'm helpless to explain. We live our lives strong – side-by-side – regardless of public opinion. And that's how things are." Here, Hitomi stopped talking. It was clear that she was getting too intense for Eries. She'd have to wait for the air to settle between them before she could pursue her question about Allen and Gaddes.

Eries beat Hitomi to the punch and spoke first. "I can't imagine how your lives could be so different from a normal person's," she said.

"That proves that you just don't know what you're talking about. I could explain it to you, but … I'm not going to. This arrangement with Dryden is only temporary after all. Van and I aren't going to stay here forever, and when that happens I might never see you people again."

"When are you planning on leaving?" Eries asked, looking smug.

Hitomi winced. Eries knew that the plan for Hitomi and Van to leave the mansion was nowhere near fruition. There was no possibility that it could be. So many things need to be decided on and done before they could leave. Even uninformed Eries could guess that much.

"Look," Hitomi said, shaking some water out of her ear. "I don't want to fight with you. For your information, you're not the only one who's being left out. I know that Van hasn't talked to Allen about our problems either and they have been close friends for years. Please just accept that I can't talk about some things with outsiders. I'm not really a member of the Abaharaki anyway. I don't have a tattoo."

"I just don't like you when you get all snotty, Hitomi. You're too young to talk like that. Your face just looks like that of a child, so when you get arrogant, you only look bratty. If Van asked you not to talk about something though, I can definitely understand and respect that," Eries said soothingly.

Hitomi wasn't soothed. _What was so great about Van? _Well, Hitomi could answer that question faster than anyone, so she decided to let it drop. She forgot that the Abaharaki loved Van and that they almost thought of him as their leader. "So, are you going to tell me about you and Allen and Gaddes?" she asked again.

Eries shrugged her shoulders. "There actually isn't much of a story. I liked Allen and so when he asked me to join the Abaharaki, I agreed. It seemed only natural that he would want his girlfriend to be a part of his underground resistance group. This was a couple years ago, and I was pretty innocent. I didn't realize that Allen was such a player, and that the lines he performed for me worked on guys and girls alike. So, I ended up rooming with Merle and she had a similar problem, except with Van. I have to say, though, that the idea that Allen didn't think I was special didn't occur to me. I wandered around in this daze always waiting for the next time we would see each other. I honestly believed that even though he hung around and flirted with all these girls that I was really the only one he liked. Pretty stupid, huh?" Eries asked, looking away from Hitomi rather than meeting her eyes.

"No," Hitomi said reassuringly.

"No, it's okay, I was stupid. I can look back on it now and not feel angry. Well, things came to a head one winter night, about a year ago, when Allen and I were driving alone together on the highway. We ended up running out of gas without knowing it. It was so cold that the gas gage on the dash froze solid. The heater in the car didn't work well. So, we started walking and we got picked up and taken to the next town where we got a motel room for the night."

Hitomi's warning bells were going off. She didn't think this was going to be a good story.

Eries continued, but she still wouldn't look at Hitomi. "So we were alone together and ended up making out … for several hours. At around two, I got up and asked him something … about the status of our relationship. I was beginning to feel like a whore since there was no commitment between us. So, I asked him what we were to each other. He was dead silent. Then he tried to pacify me and get me to relax by saying something noncommittal, but I couldn't let him touch me if all he had in mind was a one night stand."

"And that was all he had in mind?" Hitomi asked softly.

Eries turned and showed Hitomi her face. She was smiling, but Hitomi could tell that it was all a show. "Yeah. That was all he had in mind, but he kept telling me that I shouldn't be thinking about it the way I was. He said that he had no intention of taking it as far as sex, so my virtue wouldn't be challenged. I wasn't a whore and he was still a good guy, too. It was just fun for him to kiss me for hours on end. But I felt like I had made a fool of myself. He didn't want a relationship with me. He didn't love me, and I had thrown away college, my family, my friends, and everything because I was so deeply in love with him."

"Oh Eries …"

"So, I was angry and when we managed to get back to the city the next day, I wasn't any better. Days went by, and I didn't feel better. I hated myself, but more than that I hated Allen for being so ambiguous and flirtatious. At first, Allen tried to make me feel better. He was friendly with me and went out of his way to show that he cared about me very much as a friend. I couldn't stand this attitude of his and we ended up fighting. And we never stopped fighting. We're still fighting. I can't help it. I can't stand to see him lead young girls on with no intention of backing up his smile with real feelings. If he was serious, just once, maybe I could forgive him for toying with females as a gender up until now, but he's never serious."

"You have to have forgiven him by now, Eries. You were so worried about him when his head was cut that one time."

"Yeah, that's why I'm a stupid girl. Even after all that, I still loved him. Well, that all changed when he got captured by the Dragon Slayers. For the first time in like two years, Allen and I didn't see each other at least once a week. It was weird for him not to be around, but if he had never been gone, I would have never noticed Gaddes."

"Ah, the happy part of the story," Hitomi said smiling.

"Yeah, he's the happy part of the story," Eries said, her face was clearing and her content countenance was returning.

"How did you get together?"

"He and Allen were roommates and apparently Allen told Gaddes what happened between him and me. Gaddes didn't know very much about me back then, but he started to take notice after that."

"And he liked you?" Hitomi asked cheerfully.

"No! Granted, he didn't like the way that Allen behaved. He really didn't like how I was handling the situation. Even before Allen went away, I had a couple of conversations with Gaddes where he told me to give up on Allen and find myself another man. He said I was wasting myself and it was pissing him off to see it. After Allen was gone, and after you and Van left, Gaddes came to Aunt Flo's for a few days to relax and to hide out from the Dragon Slayers. We talked a lot. Then the best thing happened before he went back to the city."

"What?" Hitomi asked, leaning forward on the edge of her seat.

"He hugged me to say 'good-bye'. He leaned over and whispered, 'I've decided that I'm going to be the man to make you forget Allen. By the time it's time to pick him up from The Voltage Room, you won't even remember who he is.' Then he touched my cheek and left."

"That's sweet! And it worked?"

Eries nodded pleasantly. "Yeah, he worked hard and he really showed me how wonderful it is to be with a guy who likes you and wants you for you. I'm not his evening amusement, but his love. I hope Van makes you feel like that too, Hitomi."

Hitomi smiled, "Yeah, he does."

"So, it's still not common knowledge that you and Van are married, right?"

"Yeah."

Eries put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Then I won't tell anyone. Congratulations, Hitomi. I hope you and Van will be really happy together." Then she leaned over and kissed Hitomi on the cheek. "That's a wish from my heart."

* * *

Author's Notes: Hiya! Special thanks to Kaytala for betareading. Thanks to everyone who reviews AND visits the forum. You guys rock my world and fill me up with virtual gumballs. I love you guys! 

I'm going to set up the forum right now, so it should be up by the time you finish reading this chapter. And ... do I have anything else to say? I guess the rest will be in the forum. You can access the forum by clicking on my profile and selecting 'Mark of a Goddess'. Thanks again everyone! LOVE!


	8. Reoccurring Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Reoccurring Dream**

It was a while before Hitomi actually remembered to spend some of her free time reading Akira's logbook. Since she already learned how to transform into someone else, reading it hadn't exactly been a priority. At this moment though, she was all alone in the mansion, except for the servants.

Allen and Van were playing armed escort for Celena, who had a doctor's appointment. Selphie, Dryden, Eries and Gaddes were at Dryden's country club playing doubles tennis. That left Hitomi on her own.

She was lying on top of the comforter on her bed sipping a mug of cocoa when it occurred to her to go find the little purple book that was Akira's logbook. She settled herself in the pillows until she was comfortable and then she picked up the book.

Hitomi was surprised to find that it was written in three sections. The first section was about her family. Hitomi started reading with anxious eyes.

* * *

**My Family Life**

Today The Historian actually showed up on my doorstep to remind me that I need to write a logbook for her. How boring! I keep telling her that it would be easier for me if she'd just interview me and then leave, but we already had an interview. She says I wasn't very communicative and so I have to go into more detail on my own. I didn't want to do it at all, until she suggested that I could write about my life in topics rather than chronologically. So, I decided to take the plunge and do things this way, though I have a feeling she'll be disgusted with me no matter what I write.

When I think about my family, I only think about my sister and her oldest daughter, Hitomi. No one else really matters. My sister doesn't even really matter. She's only important in that she's Hitomi's mother. Hitomi is my dear little niece who will inherit my Tarot abilities when I die. For that reason, I feel like she's the only one who is akin to me. My life is completely tied to Hitomi's. No matter what Dominic says, as soon as Hitomi is old enough, there will be no reason for me to protect my life as religiously as I do now. It would be rough for her to become a Tarot user before she became old enough to handle it. So, as I protect myself, I protect her.

Years ago, I decided that I would go train little Hitomi in the ways of the Tarot. I transformed myself into a child around the same age as Hitomi. I believe she was six at the time. I may have my head in the clouds half the time, but I know how long my life needs to be for her sake. She was six. I approached her and told her I was visiting family nearby and that my name was Aya. Luckily, Hitomi accepted me as her friend.

I went to go visit Hitomi as often as I could after that until she was eight and a half. It was then that she started asking me serious questions about where I came from and why I visited family at such strange times. I used to smile. She didn't realize that the family I was visiting was her.

She was a very cute child and it was fun to pretend to be a child again. I didn't have much of a childhood, but pushing Hitomi on the swings with my little hands was a miracle to me, and like a healing spell on my soul. It was like my sad beginning was being wiped clean with every laugh and confidence I shared with Hitomi. She was my first friend who was 'living', if there's such a difference between living friends and dead ones.

Eventually, I knew our relationship could not continue on the way that it had. Hitomi was growing up too much to accept my disguise. It was against my principles to try to extend the illusion, because I would have to lie to her in order to keep it up. I didn't want to lie to her about me. I already felt guilty about lying to her about my name.

Finally, the day came that I knew would be the last day I could meet with Hitomi as Aya. I came to visit her mother as Akira and after Hitomi went to bed, I snuck into her bedroom as her playmate Aya. Hitomi woke up when I came in. I told her that I wouldn't be coming back because my family was moving. I cried miserably because I felt the sorrow of what I was doing sting to my heart. Then I did what I promised myself I would do, I gave her my present – the only gift I had to give. Then I whispered goodbye to her, kissed her swollen red cheek (I know it's wrong, but I was so happy that she cried when I said I was leaving) and then I disappeared into the hallway. Saying farewell to my precious treasure Hitomi was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. When I walked away from their home as Akira, I felt Dominic behind me. He told me to be happy. I had at least had that one valuable experience in this world; I was that much closer to being fulfilled. He always says the right things and the sound of my solitary footfalls was so much easier to bear because he was with me. I was one step closer to being with him.

But, I'll never forget the time Hitomi and I spent together. We blew bubbles in the park and picked the flowers out of the city flowerbeds without permission. We lay on our backs on the hood of her parents' car and watched the clouds go by. We played tag together and all kinds of wonderful games that only little girls can play and feel completely happy. She made me run harder than I ever ran in my life. Hitomi was the one person in this world who made me want to live … and for that, I'll put aside my own wishes and protect her.

I'll always protect her.

* * *

Hitomi sat back and thought hard about what she had read. She was positive that Akira's logbook was accurate. She definitely remembered Aya. Aya had been a quiet child with a smile that couldn't be touched by other people. She was teased by the other children in the neighbourhood and Hitomi remembered defending her on more than one occasion. Aya wore shabby clothes and wouldn't tell the other kids where she was staying. She played with stray cats like they were her own and her hair was never tidy. 

Hitomi's felt her heart throb like it would burst. She didn't know that Aya, Akira, or anyone else had loved her so much. She caught herself crying. There was someone like that in her life, and she was going to overflow at the tenderness of it. Dear Aunt Akira! Hitomi wished that she could have told her the truth and invited her into the world of Tarot users instead of hiding it. Why did everyone want to keep Tarot abilities a secret from their own kind? It made no sense to Hitomi and it angered her that a useless rule had kept her away from just one person who loved her.

But one thing troubled Hitomi and kept her from devoting her whole mind to mourning Akira's love. What had Akira given her that last night they met? What? Hitomi was scanning her mind furiously, but no answer was coming. A present? Hitomi didn't think it was a present. She couldn't remember Akira giving her anything. Could she have told her something instead?

She'd have to think about it more carefully.

* * *

**My Tarot Life**

I have always thought that besides my mechanic, I never would have earned more than a light appraisal from an ordinary man. Besides street racing, which is my favourite thing in the world, I don't really enjoy talking to people. I don't do things to draw attention to myself and when I talk to people I try to end the conversation as quickly as possible. No one who knows me can ever understand why I am constantly being stalked by a score of single men. There is nothing interesting about me at all. My most defining feature is my witch green eyes and my personality is dull at best when I'm not going a hundred and forty clicks an hour. I am always so withdrawn and bored with the slowness of the social scene that nothing could interest me. I never used to smile and I never used to attract anything but flies when I went out … unless there was going to be a Tarot user there.

Unfortunately, not a lot of woman Tarot users were born in my generation, so any male Tarot user who wanted a Tarot user mate would definitely seek me out and try to win me over. Some proposed marriage, but all proposed contracts. Of course, I turned them down. The irritating part was that their attention always used to draw 'other' attention with it. I'd have a Tarot suitor who repelled me and his chasing me always attracted regular guys. I kind of enjoyed the attention when I was a teenager, but by the time I was twenty five, I was ripping mad. It was like winning my love was a competition, and not just a game, but a battle to the death. And I got so bored with it. Sometimes, if I thought one of the guys wasn't so bad then I'd go out of my way to tell them that I wasn't interested, but if they really made me angry, I'd leave and let all my suitors kill each other.

I was dedicated to Dominic and none of them could ever touch him for style, sophistication, attitude, sexiness, or deportment. They were all dogs compared to him.

Except for one.

I mention this one because he left the biggest impression on me. He was a Tarot user. The thing that was different about him was that he was actually able to convince me that he was in love with me. He made me believe that he wasn't interested in me because I was also a Tarot user. It was a miracle. There were even a few occasions where I wished that I could return his feelings.

It was the year I was turning forty. Because of my relationship with ghosts and my specific Tarot user abilities (the ability to choose what age I wanted to appear), I always choose to look young, like I am in my early twenties. All ghosts look like young adults no matter how old or young they were when they died. So, I looked like I was twenty-two when I met Folken Fanel. This is the story of my relationship with him – the only other Tarot user I could stand.

I was only graced with one element as a Tarot user – lightning. Lightning is an all consuming element because it vibrates in every single cell in your body before you use it. It's not just calling forth flashes of light in the sky, but about reflexes and a daredevil attitude that makes you behave like you're a stunt double for yourself. I always felt like I was invincible when I had a good charge racing through my veins, even though it was obvious that it wasn't true – I was constantly surrounded by dead spirits, but all the same – the element was a major part of my personality.

I liked to street race. I drove a turbo charged Vauxhall VX220. The front end was just high enough that I didn't feel bad putting _him_ on the road. My cars were always men. I NEVER had a car that behaved like a sissy girl – all my cars were striplings. But the Vauxhall was the one I was driving this occasion – the night I met Folken.

I used to race kids. Well, maybe they weren't kids, but they were too stupid to keep the bottle out of their mouths before they raced. It hardly felt like it was worth the trouble when I was racing someone who was partly drunk – especially if we ended up running from the Okami. These specific kids were part of a gang called 'The Devil's Minions'. I had raced them every Saturday night for the past six weeks and none of them came close to beating me. The seventh Saturday night, I showed up in my Vauxhall and prepared myself for a yawning victory – they were pretty boring, but their cars were hot. Seemed to have been purchased with mobster money, but there were just twerps. The seventh week they brought their big brother out to play.

I pulled up in front of the crowd and lazily opened the door to my ride. The kids were crowded around a black monster of a car. It was a Jaguar XK convertible, but unless it had been supped up, there was no way it could beat me. Well, I'd learned never to underestimate what might be under the hood.

I clicked my keys in my hands and went to go meet the driver. He was leaning against the car – not drinking – unlike the other kids hanging off him like he was a rock star. He was wearing a black muscle shirt, and his arms were well carved. He looked older than the others, by quite a bit. At least he didn't look like he had to leave a note on his pillow for when his parents found his bed empty. His hair was long and he had an earring on one side. Very handsome – I was impressed.

His eyes were dark in the sparkling black of the city light, and he was looking at me carefully. It was good to see someone seriously evaluate me instead of just passing me off as a snippety little girl who had daddy in her pocket.

"You're the girl who's been beating these monkeys?" Folken asked me when I came closer.

I nodded – not even inclined to speak about my favourite topic. As far as I was concerned he was doing far too much talking, I wanted to get to the racing.

He outlined the track and let me know that we'd be going half a kilometer further than usual. I agreed and moved to get back into my car.

"Wait!" he shouted when I turned my back on him. "Don't you want to introduce yourself, or at least hear my name?"

I turned my head and said shortly, "If you beat me, we can exchange pleasantries." Then I swung my hair over my shoulder and got behind the wheel. I put on my driving gloves and waited for the signal.

Folken was cute enough to try to race me when none of those little pukes could touch me, and he was way more determined than most people I've raced. As soon as he hit the gas, it was clear that his wheels had not been supped. He was driving a Jag with only the factory installments. I had well over two seconds faster acceleration and to me – that's a lot. There was no way he could beat me, but he was good. It was clear his experience was more in the 'running someone off the road' then beating them fairly. He didn't seem to mind overly if his body got beat up either. He seemed mostly interested in keeping on my tail and not letting me disappear. But if he made one scratch to my paint job for spite, I wouldn't forgive him – no matter how different a racer he was.

When we were way past the end of the designated track, I pulled over at the side of the road, and he came up behind me and stopped. I got out of the car and went over to him. That might not have seemed like the best move from a 'lost little girl' perspective, but I sometimes accidentally give myself electric shocks after a good race. I wasn't in any danger.

"Normally at this point, you acknowledge that you're a loser and you go home, Loser," I said coldly. If he couldn't race well, then I didn't want to know him. "Bring someone better next Saturday, kay? And get your ride worked on if you're going to do this," I said pushing his chest with my fingers and moving away from him.

He caught my wrist in a tight grasp and said, "I know I didn't win, but I'd like to introduce myself anyway. I'm Folken Fanel. I'm a Tarot user."

He really seemed to think that telling me he had Tarot abilities was going to win points with me, but it didn't. I didn't care about any of that. "So?" I asked blandly. I was completely disinterested.

Folken looked confused.

"I don't care about any of that," I said, wrenching my wrist free. I turned my back on him.

He sighed, "I guess that's why they call you 'The Hermit', eh?"

His words made me stop and straighten my back. "Where did you hear that?" I asked quietly.

"I came here to meet you. I wanted to meet the woman who's been called 'The Hermit' by jilted lovers. You're younger than I thought."

From this point on, I let Folken talk to me and tell me about himself. I thought he might be an interesting friend for me. He said his symbol was the crow and his title was 'The Sorcerer'. Folken was twenty-seven, and he came to find me because he said he was interested in meeting the most powerful man-eater of all time. I guessed that he had heard about my Tarot paintings being vandalized with the words 'The Hermit' carved into the frame. I believed that he was only curious. His manner was so casual, that it didn't even occur to me that he might harbour romantic designs even from that early moment, so I really let him into my life.

As I said before, Folken was really handsome and he displayed an interesting talent at being good at protecting me from 'unwelcome' company. He took me places a crazy girl like me would want to go, like the speedway and even a grave yard. He'd bring me flowers and pay my unpaid bills (I had a lot of unpaid bills because of my racing). He stopped me from starving a few times and filled my house with groceries, because I hardly remember to feed myself. I can't even remember all the ways he noticed me and helped me. I realize now that he wanted to find a way to draw me into the real world.

He invited me to his apartment one evening and persuaded me to stay and read a book with him. Not just any book. I wasn't interested in ordinary books. This was a book written specifically on the power of Lightning as a Tarot element and the different applications of it. I had never seen it before and for me it was like holding a new cook book in front of a master chief. That's how interested I was.

It wasn't until I was cuddled up on his couch that I realized that Folken's arm was resting behind me and Dominic was no where to be seen. It was dense of me, but Folken's attitude had always been very disarming and I hadn't realized that he liked me like that.

I asked him, "Why do you have your arm around me?"

"Because I like to," he answered, and turned the page of the book like it was nothing.

"Are you saying you like me?" I asked.

"Of course I like you, Akira," he said, using my name so freely.

I was suddenly angry. If _that_ was what he was after then he'd better think again, because I was perfect at giving rejection speeches. It didn't even occur to me or bother me how much I'd come to depend on him – not just for financial support but for human interaction. It had been ages since I'd given Hitomi up and I was still lonely at heart without her. I felt like this bad situation had snuck up on me and I had to put a stop to it now before it got worse. So, I got up and told him to save his breath. I picked up my jacket and headed for the door.

Folken slammed the book shut and beat me to the door. He stood with both his hands on either side of the entryway hall and looked me straight in the eye. I'll never forget what he said. He said, "Akira, I have been very gentle with you thus far, and even now my admitting that I like you shouldn't have startled you. Why would I go out of my way to see you if I didn't like you?"

"You had your arm around me! That indicates more than friendship!"

"You're right. I want more than friendship!" he said.

I tried to shove my way past him, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"But I never would have demanded more," he said, his face so close to mine that I could feel his breath. I had never been close enough to any man to feel his breath. I felt like my space had been invaded, but he went on before I could protest. "Why can't I love you? Even if you don't love me back, even if you're in love with a man who's been dead for a couple hundred years, why can't I love you? My love for you won't hurt you. I can only support you and help you, even if you don't return my feelings," he said, and the look in his eyes was pure and earnest. He was making my knees buckle.

"How can you love me?" I wailed, overcome by my own feelings. Dominic was one thing, but to have a real, live, breathing man confess honest love for me was difficult to accept. My face was on fire and I couldn't believe what he was telling me. "I'm practically a corpse," I finished.

"A corpse?" he asked incredulously. "You're vibrant! You're the only perfectly gorgeous person I've ever seen in my life."

"That won't float with me. I don't really even look like this. I'm thirty-nine years old. I don't look like this at all."

I was expecting some change to come across his face, but none came. He looked just as serious as before. He didn't even blink an eyelash. "I know," he said. "Does it look like that bothers me?"

"If you really saw me, you'd take that back!"

"Try me," Folken said, not flinching from his conviction.

I took him back into the living room and was tempted to transform myself into a fifty year-old just to freak him out, but I felt like I needed to be honest. So, I changed into my real age and turned around to meet his eyes.

"See?" I said, knowing how different I looked. When I looked my true age, my skin was much paler, and my freckles across my nose stood out more. There were lines by my mouth and none by my eyes – I had no laugh lines. My hair was thinner and limper. The skin below my chin sagged terribly. At least it seemed to me that it sagged when I compared myself to my twenty-something body. "How could you love me like this?"

He clasped me in his arms, and looked into my eyes like I was a magical creature. "You look even more beautiful than I imagined," he murmured, "like a goddess."

I hesitated and looked into his eyes. His body was so warm and his touch so real. I wasn't thinking straight and he drew my eyes up to his and he began kissing me. Despite everything that had happened I had never been kissed before … and it was absolutely glorious. With Folken, it was everything I had ever dreamed about and I had spent a lot of time dreaming about kissing. So, I didn't move. I just let him kiss me and I was totally mystified by his touch, his breath, and the passion he had for me that was practically radiating from him. I was lightheaded and dizzy, and I felt that I was completely under his spell. That is, until his tongue slipped between my lips. It was so light and breezy because of the space he left for me to breathe as we kissed. I thought that it felt as though I were being kissed by a ghost – Dominic. Remembering him snapped me out of my trance. I thought that I might lose control of myself and so I forced myself to back away from Folken. His arms were tight, but I was insistent.

"You love me?" I asked him once he let me go.

"I love you," Folken said seriously, looking like a man a hundred times more experienced than me.

"I believe you," I said to him. "I just need some time to think."

Folken walked me to the door and held it open for me like he was tortured at the idea that I was leaving. His eyes were so persuasive. They seemed to beg me to stay. It was hard for me to go as well, but I felt like I needed to make up my mind before I let our relationship progress. I was very conscious of the idea that I might betray Dominic without thinking if I didn't get out of Folken's apartment. I suppose that was the real reason I left.

* * *

Hitomi gulped when she heard mention of Folken. 

And the story that continued from there was amazing. Hitomi could hardly believe that Folken was capable of being so tender and … sweet. All this was just reaffirming her idea that Folken must not be such a bad person. Van had to be wrong about him.

Hitomi wanted to know what was going to happen next, so she continued onto the next section.

* * *

**My Real Life**

I was a lonely child. I was separated from people because of my distant temperament and it was only accentuated when I became a Tarot user. People ask me sometimes how I got my symbol. My family was visiting my grandmother in the country, and I went on a walk by myself in the prairie when my Tarot abilities hit me. I fell backwards onto the ground and when I opened my eyes I saw a lavender coloured butterfly with yellow markings. It was so close to my eyes that I blinked. When I opened my eyes again, the butterfly was gone and the most brilliantly attractive man was leaning over me and looking into my eyes. His eyes were amazing. They were deep violet with gold flecks. That was a life changing moment for me.

He was gazing at me and then he asked me in the most alluring voice I've ever heard, "Are you okay?"

I blushed and nodded, far too shy to be forward. Also, I had no idea where he'd come from. I hadn't seen anyone on my walk. I stood up and brushed myself off. "Where did you come from?" I asked him, but when I looked at him I saw that he was in black and white, only his eyes were coloured. At first I thought something was wrong with my sight and I rubbed my eyes to clear them, but when I looked at him again, I saw that I wasn't dreaming. The fact that he was in black and white was only one of the strange things about him. His hair was long and tied back in a ponytail. His clothing was unusual as well. He was wearing a suit coat with coattails and a cravat. His shoes had heels and buckles and there was lace at his cuffs.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He said that his name was Dominic Raulph and that he was very happy to meet me. "I hoped you'd see me," he said brightly.

I didn't realize it at the time, but years later I realized that he was the butterfly I saw. Ghosts sometimes appear as butterflies to humans in this world. My Tarot abilities gave me the ability to see and talk to ghosts. Dominic was the first ghost I met and that was how we first saw each other and how we became close friends. Although it was never possible for us to truly become lovers I have dreamed my whole life of the day that I would die and he could hold me in his arms for the first time.

First, I'll have to explain how beautiful Dominic is. He is easily the handsomest man anyone has ever seen in their lives. He's beautiful no matter what way you look at him. For one of my art classes in high school I slaved over a painting of him. When it was finished, I didn't feel that I'd come anywhere near to describing how totally gorgeous he was. Dominic was good too, because he sat very still while I painted him. Afterwards, my art teacher came up to me and told me I had quite the imagination. "No one is that beautiful," she said, actually laughing. I didn't have the heart to tell her that there was someone that good looking and that he was a person I knew.

When I left home to live with my aunt when I was ten, I realized right away that I was not there to learn how to be a Tarot user, but I was there to help my aunt communicate with my Uncle Minami who had died. So, for me, it was like I sat with my aunt and uncle at the breakfast table while she asked him questions and I repeated everything he said to her. I was being used – horribly used. Neither of them really even liked me, but I could talk to Dominic all I liked, like he was literally with me because my aunt understood that I wasn't talking to no one. She knew all about Dominic and as long as I helped her communicate with her husband, living with her wasn't truly terrible. All I had to do was stay out of her way. It wasn't so bad, but I see now that it encouraged me to spend more time with people who were dead rather than people who were living.

I want to describe my romance with Dominic, but it's impossible to describe. Maybe it was how he loved our relationship that drew me to him. He was an unhappy ghost because of things that happened in his life, and he hadn't quite given up on this world. In many ways, he was like a poster on my wall that spoke to me, because he could never touch me. Spirits have bodies too, but their bodies are so slight and vague that living humans can't touch them. I never felt his breath or his touch though I have always been in love with him.

Perhaps this was the reason I was so attracted by Folken's offer. Even though I had dreamt and imagined what physical love must be like – I had never experienced it.

When I came back from meeting with Folken, I couldn't find Dominic anywhere. I searched every where for him. I finally found him in the cemetery. He was lying on the top of one of the larger monuments with his head hanging down one side.

"Dominic," I called to him when I saw him. "What are you doing here?"

He saw me, but he turned and jumped to the ground when I approached. It looked like he was going to disappear without speaking to me.

"Dominic, don't go!" I yelled. I couldn't reach out with my hand to stop him from leaving, so my voice would have to be good enough. I had changed and become young again, so I would match with him.

He turned around and his eyes, his marvelous eyes, shone a pure dark purple. The yellow was completely clouded out by his anger. "Look, I saw you. You don't have to try anymore for my sake. I'm dead."

I stopped. This was the first time Dominic ever raised his voice to me. Normally, he and I acted like we were both dead and that nothing that happened in my life really mattered because of course _my real__life_ was with him.

"You should go be with him and live your life fully, and even get my blessing as long as you promise …"

"As long as I promise what?" I asked. I was confused as to why he was going to give up on our twenty-nine year courtship so easily.

"As long as you promise that once you die, you're mine – not his or anyone else's, but mine. Then I'll let you do whatever you want with him, and I'll give you my blessing, even though, I wanted to be your first."

That was what Dominic said.

I was tortured by his words.

"So, you'd just hand me over to him now, and then you'll just brush me off when I die like I'm all clean" I demanded, actually meeting Dominic's anger with anger of my own. "If you force me into this – you'll lose my love. It'll all go to him instead."

"… Someday …" Dominic said distantly. "… Someday I always knew that you'd have to make a choice like this. I can't satisfy you. I expected that one day you'd want a living lover, and this way you have the chance to have children … and … damn it … there are too many reasons why you should go to him … Folken … whatever!"

Dominic always looked pretty as a picture, but as he said these words he looked ruffled. He never looked ruffled. If Dominic was emotional then I knew I could beat him. It is when his emotions are not provoked that matching wits with him is impossible. His feeling always cloud his judgment.

"I am thirty-nine years old," I reminded him hotly. "Or have you forgotten? Do you really think that I should be giving birth? No doctor would say that it was a good idea."

"It wouldn't kill you," was all he said.

"You bastard!" I yelled at him. "You never once told me the truth when you said you were in love with me if you are willing to turn me over to him without a fight."

"That's not true," he retorted. "I'm dead. You're living and he's … not like the other Tarot users who have chased you. He looks at you the way I look at you. He's obviously in love with you and you submitted to his kisses. Just go back to him Akira and live a happy life and … I'll wait for you."

With that he disappeared.

And he stayed away … for weeks … for months.

I'd like to say that eventually he came back and we made up, but that's not what happened. He really stayed away. It was his way of forcing me to spend time with Folken, and I did. I was weak and lonely and I spent my time with Folken. I thought that Dominic would come back and ask me to promise that I would be his when I died, but he didn't. He didn't come.

So, my relationship with Folken progressed, but I stayed looking like a young woman. I wanted to match Dominic if he ever came back. Folken never asked me to appear one way or the other – he seemed to like me no matter how I looked.

I made out with Folken in alleyways and he let me drive his car recklessly to places where he was singing. Folken sang really well and listening to him sing always made me want to forget Dominic entirely and just live happily with Folken. This half-life went on for a couple months before it was clear that Folken wanted a contract between us. He was always patient with me, but as I said, months were passing and our relationship was reaching its climax. The choice finally needed to be made. I wasn't sure if Dominic was ever going to come back, so the choice was Folken … or myself … by myself.

I didn't think Folken knew how to make me choose him, but I was wrong. Folken was wiser than I knew. One night of recklessness is all that a Tarot user requires to make someone contract bound.

He knew that I liked to be kissed and that I liked speeding in fast cars – something to do with lightning being my element. One evening he took me to a track in an empty stadium and put me on a dirt bike. I like riding in or on anything that has an engine – something that gets the wind in my hair. It was the perfect way to get me to think his way. He put me at the end of the straightaway and walked to the other end. He told me to ride as fast as I could towards him and he'd show me a trick. He told me not to worry about crashing into the wall – if I would trust him, it would be all right. It was insane, but this was the sort of gamble I live for so I went ahead. I was going faster and faster and at the exact moment I was going to pass Folken on the racetrack, his arms went around me and he pulled me clean off the bike and tossed me onto a huge mound of dirt. The bike crashed into the wall and caught on fire. Folken pinned me on the ground and bent down and lip to lip – he kissed me. I never suspected that he had been holding back when we made out before, but know I knew that he was. It was my inexperience that led me to believe that he had already shown me the best stuff, but his lips were lips that meant business this time. He meant to make me contract bound that night. There was no one in the stadium – we were all alone. He was spreading my legs with his knee and his breath was hot in my ear.

Then I heard a voice yelling my name, "No Akira! Don't do it! Please fight him off. I don't want you to do this. I never wanted you to do this! Please stop!"

I opened my eyes. Dominic was standing in front of the burning motorcycle.

"Folken," I whispered, trying to think of an excuse to put him off. "Shouldn't you put that fire out?"

He looked at it. "No – I'm busy," he said, returning to devour my throat.

I turned my head. Dominic was freaking out. I had never seen him like that. He came up behind Folken. "Stop!" he shouted, but he couldn't do anything. "Get off of her!"

I looked up at Dominic, I was so helpless and weak, and totally turned on by Folken's trick that I couldn't stir my body more than an inch to oppose him.

Then the most amazing thing happened. Dominic changed before my eyes. He went from black and white to colour and he grabbed hold of Folken's shoulders and pulled him off of me.

"Stay away from her!" Dominic shouted. He bent down and took hold of my hand. He brought me to my feet and ran holding onto my hand to the exit.

I only saw one glimpse of Folken as I ran out the door with Dominic. Seeing Dominic's coattails was enough to paralyze him for long enough for the two of us to get away. And I ran hard, like when I was with Hitomi and a little girl again. I was so happy and I felt so free.

Once we were out of the building, Dominic pinned me against the outer wall. Very quickly his hands were at my waist and his lips were on mine. He smelled like sea water and musk. His breath was on my face and at that moment – I knew I could never go back to Folken. I was being kissed by my long time love Dominic.

In case you didn't know, I just wanted to tell the story of how I got to kiss Dominic for the first time. It was like everything that happened in my life only happened to lead up to that moment. That kiss ended with me kissing air. Dominic had turned black and white again. But we stood together leaning against the wall, panting like wet seals, exhilarated. A part of our relationship had become complete.

Dominic said later, "It turned out I wasn't able to turn you over to him. You were right, it would have meant losing your love, and I can't lose your love Akira. I can't."

I think that's why he was able to become solid – if only for a few minutes. His emotions were provoked.

As for Folken, I asked him to give up on me, and he went very quietly with the deepest wounds I've ever inflicted. Even though things ended the way they did, I really liked Folken's style of loving. If there was no Dominic by my side, I would definitely want a Folken.

But, that doesn't mean that I'm sorry for my decision – nothing could be further from the truth. Since that day, I've never seen Dominic go solid. It was sort of a one time thing, but now I have the memory of it and I can dream about it – as many times as I want. It's my reoccurring dream.

* * *

Hitomi took a deep sigh as she put the book down. It was a good thing that she didn't really need Akira's help to turn into someone else, because Akira's logbook was totally useless as a Tarot artifact. Hitomi was also trying to remember what Aya had said that night in her bedroom. Argh! It was hopeless. Hitomi couldn't remember at all! 

She put her thumb in her mouth and tenderly bit down on her flesh. She was having mixed feelings about what she'd learned by reading Akira's account. Given the situation, Hitomi couldn't understand why Akira had chosen Dominic in the end. Hitomi thought that she probably didn't understand Akira and Dominic's relationship well enough to make that call, but if Hitomi had been in Akira's shoes, she felt certain that she would have chosen Folken instead of Dominic. A lover who couldn't touch you … Hitomi knew how hard those months Van had been away from her had been, and she didn't think she would be able to live like that.

But Folken … Akira's thoughts raised some new questions about him …

* * *

Author's Notes: Author's Notes: Hiya everybody! I know I'm updating at a weird time. Fun? Isn't it? 

This is the longest chapter there has EVER been. It's longer than any other chapter I have ever released - and that includes DM and MW. So, it's really long.

This week I also had a guest beta reader. Kaytala is out, so Jakrath beta read for me in her place. It was really good of him, because this isn't exactly his sort of thing. He's more of a 'Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out' kind of guy, so this was a HUGE departure for him. So, many thanks to him. Many thanks. Also huge hugs and chocolate chip cookies to everyone who reviews AND goes to the forums. I LOVE it when readers come to both. It's marvelous. So, the forum should be up before you finish reading this. And I'll see you there !


	9. Night of the Dragon Slayers

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**The Night of the Dragon Slayers**

Sleep is a delicate state. It's especially delicate to a young woman with a lot weighing down on her mind. Hitomi tossed and turned, but she couldn't rest. Van was lying beside her. He slept with a clean conscience. He hadn't done anything wrong … yet. He was sleeping on his stomach and the dim light from the window was bright enough for her to see his moon tattoo on his back. It was like nothing was bothering him. He was always strong and confident in his convictions. Hitomi told herself that she was the same as him. She hadn't done anything wrong … but if she hadn't done anything wrong than why did her heart feel so heavy?

It had only been earlier that day that she had read Akira's log book, and she was still rolling around what she had learned in her head.

Hitomi hadn't thought much about Akira when she was alive. Hitomi had been sorrier about her death than anything, but so much about Aunt Akira had been a mystery. It was probably only the suddenness of her death that bothered Hitomi. Car accidents always broke everyone up, because they were so senseless. Now that the truth about her personality and feelings had come to light, Hitomi wasn't sure if she knew everything about the night Akira had died. She was an experienced racer – how could she have died in a car accident? On the other hand, maybe it was because she was an experienced racer that she had died in a car accident. It didn't matter. Regardless of whether it was Akira's fault or not didn't matter to Hitomi. She was certain Akira had not done it intentionally.

Hitomi felt a great swell of pity sting her heart over her lost friend. Akira had loved her, more than Hitomi ever realized.

It seemed that there was only one other person in this world that Akira cared for and who cared for her - Folken. She and Folken had been the only people Akira bothered to speak about in her logbook that would be passed down from generation to generation. There had been no one else in this world that mattered enough to her – not even her own sister. It didn't matter to Hitomi that Akira had Dominic with her since she was ten. Only having one person close to you like that seemed awfully lonely to Hitomi. Dominic was not someone who could give full support to a woman. To Hitomi, if he could not touch Akira than he could not support her. So, that left Hitomi thinking about Folken again. Although Akira loved both her and Folken, she could not stay close to either of them. Instead, she chose to live lonely, because of the Tarot user code.

It seemed like a trap that all Tarot users fell into.

Hitomi looked at Van in the darkness.

That trap seemed to be lying beside her. The only person who would stay with Hitomi through her long life was Van. For the first time, the reality of Hitomi's immortality really sunk into her heart. She felt like she was running through the rain. The chill of her thoughts seemed to sink to her bones. She had not faced it before, but Akira's life forced her to think about it, even though she didn't want to. What would happen to her when Van died? Dryden thought that Van would die eventually. Beautiful, charismatic, willful Van would age and die before her eyes – as well as every other person she had ever met, and she could not go with them.

These melancholy thoughts wracked her body and soul for hours. Everything always seems scarier and less certain in the darkness, especially when you don't feel comfortable waking the person next to you to talk about what's bothering you. It was worse for Hitomi than if she had been alone.

It was three o'clock in the morning and she still wasn't able to sleep. In this state of fear and tension, Hitomi finally reasoned herself down to recognizing two problems. The first problem was that Van would not be fit to live with if he was allowed to take his revenge on Folken. The second problem was that _she _would not be fit to live with if Folken, the only other person Akira loved, was killed.

Ah, the irony. Hitomi was realizing more and more that she and Van were going to have a fight in the near future about Folken's fate. She hadn't told Van that she was going to be a stumbling block on the path to his ultimate goal. That was what she decided under the waterfall. That was the truth of her promise to herself. She was going to turn herself into Van's worst enemy. It was miserable to have to fight with the one person who could accompany her through her life, but Van had to be protected from his rashness – even if he didn't like it. Well, she wouldn't let the conflict between them come to blows. In a physical fight against Van, she could never win, but there were other ways of fighting and she couldn't be too honourable if she was going to be successful. She would have to prepare a cage for him if he insisted on going too far. She'd have to give it some thought. Trapping Van could be complicated.

So, there Hitomi was at three o'clock in the morning wide away and thinking hard, when she heard a sound. It was a creaking sound – one she had not heard many times since her arrival at Dryden's mansion. Someone was opening the front gate.

Curious, Hitomi sprung from her bed. She left her bedroom and went down the hall. There was a view of the drive from the second floor by Selphie's room. At first, Hitomi couldn't see anything. She thought that maybe Dryden had a reason and left in the middle of the night. The gate might have been opening to let him out rather than to let someone in, but she had to make sure. She squinted in the darkness and she thought she saw something. There were people, lots of people coming toward the mansion. Hitomi stood frozen in front of the window. What was going on? She couldn't see anyone clearly from across the snow. It was too dark and they were still too far away. She braced herself and was determined not to freak out until she understood what was going on. Then one by one the lights came on, everyone who was coming up the snow scraped driveway was carrying a torch.

Dilandau and the Dragon Slayers were coming. They were finally coming … to take Celena back.

Hitomi turned around and started hammering on the bedroom doors – except Selphie's. She banged on Allen's door. "Allen – get up! The Dragon Slayers are here. Gaddes! Get up! The Dragon Slayers …"

She was about to bang on her and Van's door, but he was already out in the hall. He hadn't even bothered to put a shirt on. "What's going on, Hitomi?"

"The Dragon Slayers are here – look out that window!" Hitomi hollered, pointing towards the hall window. "Dryden!" she yelled, banging on his door as well.

Apparently Dryden was sleeping light because Hitomi didn't get to bang on his door more than twice before he opened it. Even though the situation was dangerous, Hitomi was instantly relieved that when Dryden pulled open his door and revealed that he was dressed. At least he was wearing a white T-shirt with his striped pajama bottoms.

He rushed to the window and stood beside Van, looking at the advancing torches. "Wow! The Dragon Slayers really have _that_ many people?" he exclaimed.

Van put his hand on his hip impatiently. "Of course they do. What did you think? I guess now is the time to show us what this mansion of yours can do," Van said, looking interested.

"Are you serious? You're a _guest_ in my home and you're going to let your enemies – not mine - trash it?" Dryden said, literally laughing at the situation.

Van gave Dryden a dirty look. "And I thought you were going to show us something really cool. Not the right circumstances for you to help out?" he muttered.

Dryden smiled cheerfully and touched his nose as if to say that Van hit the point right on the head.

"Fine," Van said. "I'll go out and stop them."

By this time Allen and Gaddes were surfacing from their rooms, looking surprisingly alert. Both of them were fully dressed. Gaddes was even carrying his winter coat.

"Okay everyone," Van said, standing proud in his boxers. "Here's what we're going to do. Hitomi and I will go out the front doors and meet them. Dryden, you go protect Celena and Eries. Allen, and Gaddes, you two wake up Selphie and the servants. Call the police and tell them what's happening. Okay everyone?" he said authoritatively.

Dryden nodded and headed off down the stairs towards Celena's room like a shot.

"Wait!" Allen shouted. "This arrangement makes no sense. Why are you taking Hitomi out there with you? I should be the one out there to meet them – I'm the one who wants to get Dil…"

"Allen, shut the hell up!" Dryden hollered from the stairwell. Apparently, he hadn't made it all the way down the stairs and just his head was visible from where he stood. "Van knows what he's doing and I'm leaving my woman in your care in order to protect your sister. You'd better take good care of Selphie. Just do what Van tells you to do. There's no time for squabbling."

"That's another thing. Shouldn't I be the one to take care of Celena?" Allen asked furiously.

"Gaddes," Van said, looking past Allen at his friend. "Please take care of everything. I can't wait any longer. I need to get outside. Come on, Hitomi – let's go. Allen, I'll talk to you later," Van stated firmly before he turned away. It sounded like a threat.

Van went back into the bedroom and pulled on his clothes. Hitomi rushed after him and did the same. She was forcing herself to remember how well she'd behaved in the kitchen that time when she fought those guys in The Voltage Room, so that she wouldn't panic now. This couldn't be as bad at that. No matter how many people the Dragon Slayers had with them, if they had Van on their side, then they couldn't lose. Hitomi's faith in Van was that strong.

Hitomi grabbed her coat and rushed down the stairs before Van. Her boots had zippers up the sides, whereas he had to lace his boots, so she beat him. She left her hands bare, but put a toque on her head while she looked out the front windows. It was bleeding cold outside.

Dilandau was in the front. He wasn't carrying a torch, but there were two guys standing next to him that were each carrying one. It made him easy to see. His face was like stone. Hitomi didn't know exactly what they were planning, but this was horrible.

"He must be counting on me not being violent enough to kill anyone tonight since he's gutsy enough to bring so many people here. He must be planning to use his own people as hostages, or at least to stop me from going berserk. Sans that time at their hospital, he knows I don't operate well in crowds," Van said, joining Hitomi by the window and taking in the scene. "Well, we'll show him, won't we?"

"What are we going to do?" Hitomi asked, unsure of his plan.

"We're going to go out and meet them," Van said bravely, swinging the front door open and stepping into the night. "Come on, Hitomi," he said, reaching for her hand. "This is our chance to do something together. I can use ice too now, so there's no need to hurt any of these people with anything more dangerous than a little frostbite. We just need to convince the mob that fighting us for Dilandau's sake would be dangerous and stupid. Dilandau probably won't give up, so all we have to do is keep him here and entertained until the cops make it here. It should be a piece of cake – hardly exciting enough to merit getting out of bed at three a.m."

Hitomi took his hand and smiled at him. Van really knew how to take the reins of any situation. It made her proud of him. It made her want to be with him. He wasn't wearing gloves either and his hands were warm.

"Let's do this!" Hitomi said brightly and they walked down the stairs together.

Dilandau signaled to the main group of Dragon Slayers to stay where they were. Then he and his two buddies walked the rest of the way to meet Hitomi and Van face to face. It seemed he wanted to talk. As he approached them he looked perfect. Dilandau was a handsome guy and seeing him always rattled Hitomi. It had to be because of her past feelings for him, but tonight it seemed worse than usual. His appearance was affecting her more than when she saw him at The Voltage Room last. Hmm … when she saw him at The Voltage Room last …

"What do you want?" Van asked coolly, sounding as though it didn't matter to him that Dilandau had made such a show of coming with all his followers. He was one hundred percent indifferent.

Dilandau smirked, also looking confident. There was a familiar sneer on his lips. "I'm here to take Celena back," he said simply.

"And you thought that if you just showed up here, I'd give her to you? Come on, give me a little credit," Van mocked.

Dilandau's eyes narrowed. "If you refuse, we'll burn down your friend's mansion. The guard at the gate has already been taken care of."

"What did you do to him?" Van demanded, finally starting to sound provoked.

Hitomi's head was cocked to the side. There was something wrong with this conversation. She wasn't sure, but she thought that Dilandau's voice didn't sound right. It didn't sound right at all. This conversation was too straightforward for Dilly. He liked to play games. He never said anything directly … and his voice sounded funny. Those times when she met those fake Van's at The Voltage Room, none of them had ever spoken. Could it be…

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Mr. Fanel. We just treated the guard to a short nap, but if you don't give me Celena, I could easily arrange for him to nap on a more permanent basis," Dilandau drawled.

Then Hitomi was sure. There was no way this was actually Dilandau. It had to be a trick of Folken's, like when she thought Van was kissing her neck on the dance floor that one time and it was really Dilandau. Hitomi looked around frantically. The real Dilandau had to be here somewhere. There was no way he'd leave the task of getting Celena back to his friends in the Dragon Slayers. This was something he'd be personally involved it. Then she got what was happening. They weren't planning on burning down Dryden's house at all. They were planning to distract Van and her while Dilandau went and quietly took Celena back straight from her room. This was all a distraction.  
She looked at Van. She wasn't sure how well Van got to know Dilandau during the time period he was getting blood transfusions from him. Maybe Van didn't know Dilandau very well. Maybe he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the real thing and a fake. She thought for one second to see if there was a way that she could alert Van to the true state of things, but she knew there wasn't time.

"Well, I'm not giving you Celena," Van said between set teeth.

Hitomi grabbed the sleeve of his coat just to get his attention and then she turned and ran back into the mansion with all due speed. "Take care of the rest, Van. I love you!"

She made it to the house and bolted the door before running as hard as she could towards Celena and Eries' rooms. They were not near the front of the house – in fact they were at the other end down a very long corridor. Hitomi ran, wet snow covered boots and everything. She was positive that she was right. Dilandau was not attacking the front door, but Celena's room directly.

When Hitomi made it to their rooms, the doors were open and the rooms were empty. However, one window in Celena's room was wide open. The wind was blowing the curtains. Hitomi rushed to it and saw that everyone was outside. Dilandau was there, holding Celena by the throat. He had a gun pointed to her head. Dryden and Eries were trying to talk him out of doing something stupid.

"She's sick!" Eries was yelling – her voice desperate and full of tears. "Please don't move her!"

"Stay away!" Dilandua barked desperately. When Hitomi saw him she couldn't believe he was the same person. His eyes were huge and so bloodshot that they looked completely red with no whites. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind and the gun in his hand was faltering. Celena looked terrified and so ill that it was amazing she was still on her feet.

It seemed that Dryden was too late. Dilandau had probably attacked the room while Van had been giving them instructions. Dang it!

Hitomi wasn't sure if Dilandau or Celena saw her at the window, but she had to do something. She leaned against the wall by the window and tried to think of what she could do. Her elemental abilities seemed totally useless in a situation like this. What good would a water gun or an ice crystal do in a situation like this?

At that exact second there was a large CRACK that seemed to shutter through every part of the house, even making the bricks themselves tremble.

What the heck was that? Was that Van's pyrotechnics? She thought that he wasn't going to use fire.

Hitomi moved the curtain and took a peek outside. Dilandau, Dryden and Eries were all staring at the house. Celena was looking at the sky, but then she seemed to lose her strength. She passed out. Was Dilandau strong enough to carry her without her help in his current state? Hitomi doubted it. If he made a slow retreat than maybe he would be easier to get. He was trying to ease Celena into a different position. He couldn't keep her out of the snow and point his gun threateningly at the same time. He would have to let her fall into the snow, or he would have to put away his gun. It looked like he was trying to pick Celena up instead of threaten Dryden and Eries.

This was her chance!

Hitomi felt the beat of her heart and jumped out of the window. As she ran towards Dilandau she felt the wind across her face and the thunder in her chest – her ice mittens were forming on her hands. She didn't think she stood a chance of winning, but at least she could give Dryden an opening to nab Celena. Dilandau was kneeling now, as he held Celena in his arms, he tried to rouse her using his voice.

"Come on! Wake up!" he called, speaking unusually gently for a monster. However, he looked up when he heard Hitomi's footfalls, and his expression changed completely. The characteristic sneer was ripe on his lips.

Hitomi saw no reason to hesitate. This might be her only chance.

It was dim, but the orange light from the city lit her way as she took the most aggressive stance she could think of. He was in the middle of raising his gun when she arrived beside him. She lifted her foot and connected it with his head. At least she thought it connected. The force of her kick was enough to knock him into the snow. The feeling in her foot let her know that she hadn't landed the blow she wanted. He had used his gun to block. It had taken most of the impact.

Celena and Dilandau both lay in the snow, but Hitomi couldn't take the time to try to pull Celena away from him.

"Dryden!" she screamed, winding up to kick Dilandau again. "Take Celena! Hurry!"

Hitomi was aiming for Dilandau's gun-hand, but he let go of Celena with his left hand and grabbed Hitomi's ankle in mid-swing, pulling her into the ankle-deep snow. It was cold, but Hitomi was glad she was enough of a distraction to give Dryden that chance to save Celena.

"You bitch!" Dilandau screeched, turning his attention to Dryden who was bent over to pull Celena up. What a hero! Dryden hadn't even stopped long enough to put a coat on. The wind was ruffling his thin white shirt around his chest.

Hitomi was pushing herself to her feet, but she wasn't as fast as Dilandau.

"Give her back or I'll kill you!" Dilandau hollered. He was standing now and pointing his gun at Dryden's head.

Dryden's didn't immediately comply. His eyes were steady as he stared back at Dilandau. There was no trace of fear on his face – nothing. But the gun still made him hesitate and Celena was slipping from his arms. She was sliding back into the snow.

Hitomi ground her teeth together! She couldn't let that lunatic hurt Dryden – precious Dryden. She stepped between Dryden and Dilandau. She took her ice glove and punched Dilandau's fist with it. She didn't want to hurt him. She just wanted to get his attention, and to get that horrid gun out of his dangerous hands.

"You're fighting me!" she said, challenging him.

His gun fell into the snow.

Dilandau shook his head and took a step back. He was holding his right hand with his left in a manner that was unlike him. It was then that Hitomi realized that she had really hurt him – above and beyond her expectations. He was wearing tight black leather gloves, but Hitomi had no idea how much she hurt him with that punch, until he reacted. He was biting his lip and holding back.

Hitomi looked at her hands. The crystals on her knuckles were long and sharp, made tougher by her desperate attitude. She hadn't noticed how cruel they had become, because her hands didn't even feel cold.

Dryden was fast and he gathered Celena in his arms and pulled her away from Hitomi and Dilandau.

Dilandau shook his head slightly as he recovered from the punch. "I don't have time for you, bitch!" he spat. Even in the half light Hitomi could see the vermillion droplets of his blood slipping between his fingers. She had cut right through the leather. "Get out of my way! She's the only one I love. How could _you_ possibly understand?"

There was an odd feeling in Hitomi stomach. She felt like it was going to turn over. The blood on his fingers was coming faster now. Hitomi was having flashbacks of the time when she stabbed Miguel and she was having a hard time steadying her nerves. "If you can't take me, then there's no way you can take Van," she said, her breath escaping from her lips in a white vapour.

"Right," Dilandau said, reaching into his coat pocket.

Did he have a knife or another gun, Hitomi wondered as she tried to prepare herself for his attack. What was he going to do? Damn it. Even with Dilandau in his current state, he was friggin' strong. She didn't have enough experience fighting to manage with this. She was going to have to do a big attack, like the first time she summoned her power, but before she unleashed something like that, she had to make sure that Dryden had taken Celena and Eries back into the mansion.

The wind was blowing in her ear and she wouldn't have been able to hear Dryden if he was shouting at her. But then a sound came on the wind. It was like a gym whistle that made everyone stop playing. Dilandau's ears perked up and he was listening intently as well. When he recognized it, his eyes popped open.

It was a siren.

Hitomi turned and looked towards the front of the house. She could see the police cruiser lights on the road, and something else she hadn't exactly expected. Dryden's mansion was definitely on fire. The blaze was lighting up the night sky and turning it yellow.

In that second that her attention was directed away from Dilandau, he grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth and nose with something. It smelt … black.

Hitomi fell limp and only felt the cold of the snow on her knees before fading into oblivion.

* * *

Author's Notes: I decided to release an un-beta read chapter, so please go easy on me when it comes to typos. I decided that it wasn't worth holding the chapter back for since my beta reader is still on ... leave. She's betaing it though, so when she gets the chapter to me, I'll replace this one with her version. It'll probably be better, though I don't usually have many errors. 

Thanks to everyone who reviews and tells me that they are enjoying this story. It makes a really big difference to me. I can hardly explain how much of a difference it makes to me - ABSOLUTELY HUGE. Thanks so much. I got such great comments with the last chapter and I felt so happy, which is why I didn't want to hold the chapter back. Thank-you to those who read and review - you are all heartstoppingly fabulous.

P.S. The forum should be up right away, so come visit.


	10. Earth Bound

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but wouldn't it be cool if I did? Then maybe I could turn this story into a manga. Hehehe!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Earth Bound**

When Hitomi woke up, amazingly, she was in her own bed in Dryden's mansion. Van was sitting beside her holding the back of her hand to his cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes large with hurt and concern.

Hitomi felt her body. She didn't feel hurt. Normally, her hands were frostbitten after calling up her ice mittens for as long as she had the night before, but this time they looked completely unharmed. She thought it was a sign that she was getting better with them.

"I think so …" she said slowly, shaking her head sickly. "Dilly got me with something, didn't he? What was it? Chloroform?"

"Yeah, it was chloroform," Van admitted. He got up from the chair and pulled the covers off of Hitomi, just enough for him to get under the blanket with her. He pulled her so that she lay down with her head on his chest and his arm around her hip. "I didn't know what he'd used, but the police confirmed it when they got here. They wanted to take you to the hospital, but I wouldn't let them. Even though I said that you were fine and didn't need to go, I was really worried about you. I'm so glad you're safe." He squeezed her to him tightly. He kissed her hair and hugged her closely again.

"What happened?" she asked him, impatient for information. "Did we win?"

"Oh yes," he said in his deepest voice. "And it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't realized that the guy I was fighting at the front was just a diversion, then Dilandau would have made away with Celena for sure. That's what Dryden thinks anyway. He says Dilandau was already out the window with Celena when he got there. Those Dragon Slayers are crazy bastards though. Did you realize they used a cannon on me?"

"A cannon?" Hitomi blurted, suddenly sitting upright. "Like a barrel and a giant ball with a fuse … a cannon?"

Van nodded. "It was sort of home made, but I'll give this to them – it worked."

Hitomi instantly started feeling his ribs. "They didn't get you did they?" she asked, grabbing him.

"Stop that," he commanded sillily, grabbing her hands. "It tickles. No, of course they didn't get me with it, but they did get to knock a giant hole in the manse. Set the place on fire too. Luckily, I stopped the fire before the fire department was called. It would have been a giant pain in the butt if they had showed up as well as the police."

"What happened to the Dragon Slayers and the guard they took hostage?" Hitomi asked.

"Most of them ran off when the police showed up. Apparently, they were expecting to have to make a hasty get-away with so many people. I think the police only arrested five or six out of that huge procession that came up the front driveway." Van shrugged, "Dilandau got away as well. Oh, and it didn't look like they were actually planning to do anything terrible to the guard. They just tied him up and left him. I think they expected us to call the police, and they wanted to limit the amount of trouble they got into."

"Well … then, how was I saved?"

Van was slowly shaking his head. "_That_ guy is so weird."

"Dryden saved me?" Hitomi asked with raised, interested, eyebrows.

Van nodded. "Yeah. He said that you intervened and knocked Dilandau's gun out of his hand, giving him the perfect chance to get Celena back into the house. He said that Celena was barely on the floor before he had to turn around and threaten Dilandau with his own gun to shove off."

"Yeah, that all sounds pretty normal – for us. So, why is he weird?"

Van screwed up his face in discomfort, "Because he was going to let you beat Dilandau to a bloody pulp. That was Plan A. Plan B was to try to use the gun and the sirens to scare him away." Here Van abruptly stopped.

"What was Plan C?"

"I have no bleeding clue. When I asked him he said it was a secret, and heck, I don't want to know. I'm just glad that he was able to save you. Dilandau was obviously trying to kidnap you. Folken probably asked him to try to get you, or me, or something – I don't know. They probably still want my blood, or maybe they want your blood. The thing is that I thought that the only reason they were attacking tonight was to try to take Celena back, but since Dilandau tried to take you too, I think there's more to this. What is Folken thinking? What does he still want with you if he's got Naria and Eriya, and he knows that you're my wife? I can't figure it out. They can't want you for their disgusting little experiments. Your symbol is not an animal. The only thing I can see as a possibility is that they are trying to use you to get to me, but they should be done with me by now. But I'll tell you; I've had it, Hitomi. From now on my training has to be way more serious. Folken can't be allowed to just do what he wants. From today on, I'm doubling the amount of time I spend in the training gym and library. Instead of six hours a day – I'm going to do twelve."

Hitomi gaped. "Is that really necessary?" she asked nervously. If Van worked that hard, she'd have to work even harder to be able to beat him. Yeah, Dilandau had tried to kidnap her. Maybe Folken requested it and maybe he didn't. It could have been Dornkirk instead. Hitomi just wouldn't believe on Van's word that Folken had always the criminal mastermind behind everything. And there was always the possibility that the whole thing had been Dilandau's idea from the start. He might have been trying to use her as a bargaining chip to get Celena back.

"I'll do whatever it takes. I won't take anymore of this crap. I was locked up and bled – kept away from my new wife – in order to meet his conditions. No more patience and definitely no forgiveness. This is beyond personal. I've got to kill him or I'll never be able to relax."

Hitomi frowned. She couldn't help it. How was she going to beat Van if he was this dedicated?

Van stopped his tirade and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I shouldn't have said that much. I know you don't like me talking about that, and you've been through a lot tonight."

"It's okay," she lied. "Is that everything that happened?"

"I think so. Dryden is still downstairs talking to the police. Eventually, you'll probably have to talk to them, too. Do you want to talk to them now, or would you rather we pretended that you're still out like a light, so that you don't have to answer questions until later?"

"Later," Hitomi said emphatically. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain everything to the police. But she shifted her position a little, so that it might have seemed like she was trying to get up.

"Hey," Van said, holding her tightly. "I didn't give you permission to go," he said playfully.

"Oh?" Hitomi questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"I haven't finished telling you how amazing you were," he said, touching her bottom lip with his finger. "I'll have to start at the beginning, and so it might take me a very long time to finish."

* * *

Sometime later, Hitomi and Van were downstairs sitting at the dinning room table with everybody, except Celena who was resting on Allen's bed. They were all having lunch together.

"She can't stay here," Allen declared noisily, speaking of Celena.

"Didn't we prove we could protect her?" Van asked, looking more annoyed with Allen than he'd ever looked before.

"That's hardly the point. The Dragon Slayers know where she is now. Dilandau will certainly come back and I don't care what powers you have, it might not go so well next time," Allen said.

Van was rolling his eyes and looking disgusted. He had already told Hitomi that Allen was pissed off about being left out of the fight like a civilian. He and Van were supposed to be best friends and Van hadn't explained that Dryden and Hitomi were both Tarot users. Van didn't really trust Allen anymore and it could never be shown more clearly than in a crisis. Instead of trusting his friend, he'd sent him to go look after the servants and Dryden's girlfriend. Allen was angry at this obvious dismissal and Hitomi couldn't figure out if she thought he was justified or not. Maybe he needed an explanation, but if he couldn't be trusted, then he couldn't be trusted with the real reason for the setup. Right now he was lashing out at Van, and Van wasn't going to do a thing to ease Allen's mind. He was just going to let Allen stay angry as long as he wanted. It wasn't Van's style to reassure.

Naturally, Dryden came to the rescue. "I agree," he said loudly, taking everyone at the table by surprise.

"What?" Allen asked, looking shocked.

"Just what I said. I agree completely that Celena shouldn't stay here. It's unthinkable, really. Instead, I think she needs to be moved again – to a much safer place."

"What place could be safer than here?" Hitomi interrupted. She was totally confused.

Dryden looked like he had thought of a great scheme and that he was delighted to be able to share it. "I was thinking that the move needs to be more drastic than simply moving her to another place in the city. She obviously needs to be moved out of the country."

"Out of the country! Who's going to pay for that" Allen exclaimed.

"I will, of course," Dryden said smoothly.

"Where's she going to go?" Allen asked, looking like he was going to pop right out of his chair.

"I was thinking she could go to the Fassa main house. It's in Spain – Madrid, actually. I haven't been there often, but I can't think of anyone better to help in this situation then my family butler. He's a genius and I know he would be the best person to not only make sure that Celena was as comfortable as possible, but also to employ a whole army – if necessary – to protect her. That's the best solution I can think up."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Allen asked, sounding skeptical.

"It's a fabulous idea. Dilandau can scarcely move his entire clan of little mutant minions to Spain in order to chase her. He doesn't have resources like that, and you must have realized by now that only Dilandau is interested in getting Celena back. The higher-ups in the Zaibach group don't care about her at all. Their focus is still Van; so basically, I think she'll be safe as long as she's separated from The Dragon. Do you catch my meaning?"

Allen looked sullen. He wasn't going to fight with Dryden when he made that much sense. Instead, he scoffed.

"What's your plan exactly, Dryden?" Van continued, putting his elbows on the table and leaning forward like he was ready to deal a hand of poker.

"I know you don't want to leave the city, because you still want to have it out with Folken. I wasn't going to suggest that you leave. I'll give you the codes to the west wing, and I'll take Celena, Eries, Gaddes and Allen (if he's willing) to Madrid for their protection. You and I will fix the mansion this afternoon and the rest of us can start the trip by flying to New York tonight," Dryden said.

"We're going to fix the mansion today?" Van said, looking unconvinced.

"For a big strong dragon like you, it shouldn't take any time at all," Dryden said, winking.

Van gave him a sideways glance that clearly showed his disgust, "I'll sic Hitomi on you if you keep hitting on me like that, Dryden. It's freaking creepy."

"I'm not hitting on you," Dryden said off-handedly.

"No, you're too hetero for that, but you're definitely making fun of me."

"Is that worse?" Dryden laughed.

Van eyed Dryden, "Maybe."

"So it would be better if I_ were_ hitting on you?" Amusement covered every part of Dryden's face.

Van shook his head, "No! Shut up! Why are you always so weird?"

"I just wanted to let you know how much I love you before we leave tonight. Oh, and Allen, thank you for helping Selphie, even though you didn't want to. It was definitely appreciated. To show my gratitude, you can even sit next to her on the plane," Dryden said, turning his attention towards Allen.

"How come you get to decide whether or not I'm going? I'm not going anywhere. I said that I'd get even with Dilandau for what he did to Celena, and I'm going to. Who ever heard of forcing a woman to carry your child? He definitely needs to be taught a lesson …"

"And you're he proper person?" Dryden interrupted.

"Yes, I am," Allen said boldly. Every line in his body indicated that he thought he was right.

"Well, when I leave here tonight, I will no longer be the master of this house. So, if you want to stay here, you'll have to have Van's permission, okay?" Dryden said, returning to his meal and taking a drink.

Van had been speaking much less than Dryden, so his meat and pasta were long gone. Now he was finishing what was left in his water glass.

Allen was looking at him expectedly, but Van did not turn his head.

"Well?" Allen asked impatiently.

"I'll have to think about it. You still haven't agreed to my conditions, even though it's been two days. Personally, I think you should focus on protecting Celena and go with Dryden to Madrid, but I would understand if your need for vengeance is beyond that. If I were you, I would have a hard time trusting that she would be okay if I wasn't there to protect her myself. Celena isn't strong like Hitomi. In fact, she's more delicate now than anyone. At the risk of your disapproval, I'd say that she needs you a lot more than you need to beat the crap out of Dilandau." Van paused. He appeared to be thinking. When he continued he said, "Do what you want, but if you stay here, I may not let you participate in any of the fights that may or may not happen. If the mansion is attacked again because Dilandau still thinks Celena is here, then the job I'd give you the second time around would be no different. I would still send you to protect the servants and to call the police. Hitomi would still be the person I'd take with me to the front lines."

"Why?" Allen demanded, looking completely livid.

"Because, you idiot," Van said, looking at Allen with eyes that spoke volumes about gentleness. "She's my wife."

Allen's jaw dropped to the floor, and for a moment he could not speak, he was so astounded.

Gaddes had a better presence of mind and although he had not spoken much at the luncheon table he leaned across and shook hands with Van, congratulating him on his marriage.

"Thanks," Van said pleasantly to Gaddes.

Hitomi was smiling brightly when Gaddes shook hands with her as well. It was such a relief, such a happy pleasure not to have to keep it a secret from anyone anymore, and the look on Allen's face was almost worth all the trouble she had to go through to keep it a secret.

"Do you have anything to add?" Van suddenly asked, looking squarely at Allen.

Allen was still collecting himself. He was swallowing a lump in his throat. "She's your sister," he said quietly.

"What?" Van questioned, looking at Allen quizzically. "Trust me, she's not my sister."

"No, Marlene is your sister-in-law. That's why you were so pissed off. She's part of your family now. Your family has always been so messed up, so now you finally have people to go to and they are …"

"Be quiet, Allen," Van said, taking the water pitcher and refilling his glass. He leaned back in his chair so that it was only resting on its back two legs. With one arm over the back, he took a long drink from his glass while he regarded his friend. "It's not like that at all. Hitomi's parents don't even know she is married. Didn't you go to her home as her date while I was gone? If they knew that she was already married to me, do you think they would have welcomed you?"  
"You were already married then?" Allen gaped.

"Obviously Hitomi's the girl I got my moon tattoo over," Van said in his heavy deep voice.

Hitomi's heart was skipping beats all over the place. Listening to Van's explanation as to what happened was … indescribably wonderful. She wouldn't have missed this for the world. Van was so cool!

"Why do you think I always wanted to be the one to watch Dilandau at the club?" Van continued. "She was there dancing with him and I wanted to watch her."

"So you always knew it was Hitomi?" Allen asked.

"Always," Van said, and he said the word like he was making a promise. His eyes met Hitomi's for an instant, and in that second she felt his love for her swelling in her chest. "Anyways, believe it or not, but Hitomi is like me. Her symbol is the moon and she's the only woman in my generation more powerful than me. You think I'm undefeatable, but that little girl – she can take me down." Here Van looked at Allen and dared him to say one more word about why he would make a better partner than Hitomi.

Allen stood with his mouth slack.

When it didn't look like Allen was going to say anything, Van started talking again. "But, you're misunderstanding if you think the reason I'm standing up for Marlene is because she's Hitomi's sister. That isn't the reason. You pity me too much because you know my background. I'm just tired of involving people in our fight who have no real reason to participate. Back when there were so many members of the Abaharaki, I believed that everyone was there because they had a reason to be there – like Merle. What reason does Eries have?" Van said looking at Eries.

Everyone at that table, besides Selphie and Dryden, knew that Eries did not join the Abaharaki because something bad happened to her, but only because she was interested in Allen, so no one said anything to challenge Van.

Dryden only looked interested at the turn the conversation was taking.

"So," Van went on. "You may stay if you like, but I don't recommend it. I may not let you do anything."

"You think you have that much control over the situation?" Allen asked, finally regaining some of his poise. "That much control over what I'll do?"

"I don't care what you do," Van said indifferently. "I've always trusted you to be in charge of your own destiny, and that doesn't change with this. I've offered you and Celena whatever help I can give you. It's unfortunate that most of it is through Dryden. I wish I could be more helpful, but right now, he's more resourceful than me, so I can't be too proud over whether or not I'll accept his help since it's for your benefit. And mine, too. I don't deny it. I've named my conditions – they haven't changed, so it's up to you whether or not you want to accept them," Van said, finishing his water and setting it down on the table. He pushed his chair back the rest of the way and directed his conversation towards Dryden. "Are you about finished? I don't know what you've got in mind when it comes to fixing the manse, but it doesn't matter. I'll help."

Dryden swallowed the last of his meat and stood up. "Hitomi, too. This is something she's not going to want to miss. Everyone else, please go pack your things," Dryden said. Then he pulled Selphie aside and from the occasional English word Hitomi could tell that he was asking her to arrange for their flight. She nodded obediently and headed out of the room with steady long strides. It was too bad she was stuck in a place like this. Hitomi felt sure that she was an amazing person in Italy. She was handicapped here.

Everyone was filing out of the room when Allen said suddenly, "I'll do what you want, Van."

Hitomi's head snapped around. She couldn't believe that he'd really said it.

"I have to make sure that he never comes after Celena again. I don't want her to live afraid that he'll show up again. Never again! So, for that, I'll accept your help and meet your conditions."

"Excellent," Van said over his shoulder. "I'll arrange for Marlene to come to the manse tomorrow in order for you to break up with her – for the time being at least. You haven't spoken to her since that day Hitomi interrupted you, right?"

"Right," Allen muttered miserably. His eyes looked instantly dark and despondent, even though his eyes were so blue.

* * *

Dryden took Van and Hitomi into the corner room on the second floor that had been smashed by the cannon ball the Dragon Slayers fired at the mansion. It was a sitting room – right beside Selphie's bedroom. Before they came, Dryden advised Van and Hitomi to dress as though they were going to be working outside and both of them showed up bundled up like marshmallow men. Dryden stood in a tailored black leather jacket laughing at them.

"Did you think we were going to be out here for hours?" he asking, slapping the side of his leg with his bare hand. He hadn't even bothered to put gloves on.

"You said to dress warmly," Van reminded him. He looked especially annoyed. He really didn't like being laughed at and Dryden took way too many opportunities.

"Yeah, because I knew it would be cold in here," Dryden said, indicating the massive hole in the wall, and the burnt walls. "I didn't want you to show up without a coat is all. Anyway, I told you that this mansion was built by my father and that he mixed his blood in with the mortar during the construction?"

"Yes," Hitomi said. She was very interested in what Dryden was going to tell them.

"Because I'm his son, I can use the abilities the mansion has. If the Dragon Slayers had actually entered the house, I could have done anything from killing every last one of them with a wave of my hand, to making them all so confused that they couldn't find the entryway while standing in the front hall, to simply throwing them out like what Folken did with us at The Voltage Room. I could have done something with Dilandau, if too, if I'd made it to Celena's bedroom before he made it out the window with her. I was sorely disappointed about that. Oh well, no point dwelling on the past. Anyway, here's what I want to do," Dryden said, pulling what looking like a letter opener from inside his jacket pocket. At least, it looked like a letter opener to Hitomi. It was a jewel-encrusted dagger. Dryden put the blade in his hand and turned the handle towards Van. "Take it," Dryden ordered.

Van looked at it. "That's your father's knife that you said he used to prick himself with when he put his blood in the construction of a building, right?"

Dryden nodded.

"What do you want me to do with that?" Van asked, his eyebrows pulled together in a solid black line.

Dryden bonked Van on the side of the head with the handle. "Idiot. I told Allen that you'd be the master of this mansion by tonight. What did you think I meant? Since we've got this crack in the foundation we have a chance to add some more wishes to my father's extensive list. Don't you think?"

Van touched his head with his hand, recovering from the smack Dryden had given him. His gloves were mechanic's gloves. They were the kind that were missing the fingertips and the mitten-tops Velcroed to the back of his hand. "Well, what did you have in mind?"

"You should wish that you were the master of this house. That should give you all the access and privileges that I enjoy. Then once the magic has accepted you, you can wish that the building would repair itself. It'll be good practice, and you'll be able to protect this place properly in my absence. Not only that, but maybe you can really make a protection pendant for Hitomi after this," Dryden said, looking serious and encouraging.

Van took the knife from him and walked towards the crack, where the wind was blowing. Dryden and Hitomi followed him quickly. Hitomi wanted to see what was involved.

"Can you give me step-by-step instructions, Dryden? Or is that too much?" Van asked, looking over the edge of the hole like he was looking over a balcony. There were broken bricks that had fallen into the snow below them.

"For this … I can," Dryden said, taking out a leaflet and holding it in his hand. He didn't open it as Hitomi expected him to. He was always consulting books, but instead of reading from the pages, he stood and said what Van was supposed to do without looking at a single word. "Cut your finger, or your arm. It shouldn't be too hard on you since you heal. Go ahead – do it. When your blood flows, drop it onto the smashed mortar. It may seem unusual, but try to cover as much area with your blood as you can. Concentrate as hard as you can on your wish to be master of the house. You can even say the words out loud if you want to."

"How will we know that it worked?" Hitomi asked, hugging herself and not looking forward to Van spilling his own blood. This was the only way that had been mentioned thus far on how to master earth as an element, so she had to stay quiet. From what Dryden said, it sounded like he could have just wished that the mansion would be repaired himself and it would have been. Instead, he was giving Van a chance to use a difficult element. It was really very kind of Dryden.

"Van will know when it has worked. The house will speak to him and tell him that he's been accepted," Dryden said.

"The house will 'speak' to him? That sounds too weird," Hitomi said.

"No, it's not," Dryden said, looking at Van. "Only Van will hear its words though. Go on, Van."

Van took the knife in his right hand and hesitated. His fingers shook. He looked like he had never cut himself before. He took a calming breath and quickly sliced a light cut through all four of his fingers. His palm was open and with the pain of it, Van reacted by crushing his fingers together. Then he did what Dryden told him to do. He let his blood splash onto the rubble and brick scattered on the floor of the damaged room.

"I wish this place were mine," he said out loud as his blood fell. "I wish I were its master. I wish I could command it." Then he repeated his words again, "I wish this place were mine."

Soon he was chanting and sweat was breaking out on his forehead.

Dryden looked on with serious eyes. This was very serious business – Hitomi could tell, and Van wasn't having an easy time of it. The other elements had come so easy to him, compared to this. This looked like torture, and it was dragging on minute after minute. There was no change. He was simply suffering.

Van began shouting his chant. He was having a hard time standing. He would fall to his knees in a moment.

Hitomi moved to go to him, but Dryden held her back, shaking his head, but he didn't say a word or give an explanation.

"Serve me!" Van growled.

Hitomi jumped.

His voice sounded all wrong – he sounded like an animal. What was going on?

Then Van abruptly straightened and opened his eyes. He let the dagger fall out of his hand onto the floor and he let his head hang backwards. "It must be a very different experience to try to make a wish with an object that hasn't already got wishes attached to it," Van said apathetically, looking at Dryden.

"Yes," he said. "I imagine it is."

"You didn't tell me I'd have to argue with the power of your father's wishes. Talk about obsessive. He doesn't like sharing his things."

"No, he probably doesn't, but I'm sure his wishes were secondary to the power of your will. Isn't that right?" Dryden said. It seemed to Hitomi that he was seeking to learn as much as he could from this situation.

"Who could refuse me?" Van said, sounding out of breath.

Dryden smiled, and Hitomi was going to rush Van, but Dryden held her back again. "Now wish that the mansion was repaired."

Van looked dizzy, but he said, "I wish the mansion looked the way it used to."

Hitomi was startled when that material on the floor began to move and when she saw the rocks that had fallen into the snow floating outside the gap in the wall. After the initial movement, things moved almost too fast to see. Everything was fixed as though by magic. Soon, not only was the paint on the walls the way it had been before, but the room had also reached normal room temperature.

"Good job, Van," Dryden complimented, as he let Hitomi go, so she could embrace Van.

Van hugged her closely while she praised him at being able to do something so hard on his first try.

"Ahem," Dryden said, interrupting. "There's something else I want to talk to you two about," Dryden said uneasily.

"What?" Van asked, obviously surprised to see uncertainty in The Lover.

"I know I said that I would take everyone to Madrid, but that's only partly true. I mean, I do plan to accompany everyone to the castle, but after that, I'm going to leave them there," he said, looking extremely nervous about what he was about to confess.

"Are you going to come back here?" Hitomi asked, hoping that he would come back. Hitomi had been feeling sorry that he was leaving. She would really miss him.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "In one sense, I'm like Van. I don't think that the Zaibach group should be allowed to keep doing whatever they want. I wasn't sure before, but when I saw all those kids lined up outside, I decided that I couldn't be passive any longer, even though it's my nature to wait and see if things will naturally align themselves. I don't think that's going to happen this time, and I can't stand to see children get a thirst for blood. The Devil has to be stopped … and I'm not the one to do it. So, I'm meeting my mother at the castle. Together, we're going to go find The Sun God and see if there is anything he can do."

Van nodded understandingly. "Good luck to you, Dryden. That's definitely a worthy cause." He patted Dryden on the back as Dryden was faltering on his feet.

Dryden was always like this when he talked about The Sun God. Hitomi couldn't understand why he was so afraid. Dryden said that there was a rumour about him that he could read a person's thoughts and tell the colour of their heart. His abilities didn't sound _that_ scary to Hitomi. Sure you'd feel a little naked while talking to him, but asking him for help couldn't be that bad.

* * *

Everyone made his or her preparations to leave. Hitomi went and helped Eries pack up her and Celena's things. Eries was very excited to be going to New York and then to London and then to Madrid. She had never been traveling before and she was thrilled to be able to see new places. She was also excited to be going with Gaddes. Eries didn't have to say she was happy that Allen was staying behind. She seemed to think it was natural for her to be accompanying Celena as her guardian, and went with the flow instead of questioning Dryden. Hitomi was glad about that. It made things much easier.

Hitomi stuck her head into Celena's room. She wanted to say something to her as well, but Celena was sleeping and Eries begged her not to wake her up. The night before had been really hard on her.

Hitomi also went and hugged Selphie, telling her as well as she could that she was happy to have met her and that she looked forward to the time that they would see each other again. Selphie seemed pleased to be leaving, though. A cloud of unease seemed to leave her and now she looked almost as cheerful as she did when Hitomi had first met her.

After Hitomi spoke to Selphie, she thought she was done saying special farewells when Dryden invited her into his downstairs study for a chat. Hitomi couldn't figure out what he wanted to talk about with her so privately.

He pulled out a chair for her and beckoned for her to sit down. "I've been thinking," he said, sitting down in the chair next to her rather than sitting further away from her behind the desk. "Would it be okay if we spoke frankly for a few minutes?"

"Frankly?" Hitomi asked, laughing softly. "Aren't you always frank?"

He smiled patiently, and then said, "Well, could we speak seriously, then? I have something I want to talk to you about."

"What? Of course you can say whatever you've got on your mind, Dryden. We're good friends and I trust you," she said warmly, thinking of how far they'd come since when she first saw him in homeroom.

"When was your last period?" he asked suddenly.

Hitomi's eyes burst open wide. "What's wrong with you?" she asked suddenly. "That's none of your business." She even stood up from her chair.

Dryden took hold of her hand gently and brought her eyes back down to meet his. "Try to pretend that I'm your doctor, Kanzaki," he said, using his old sentimental name for her. He hadn't used it since Van told everyone that she was a Fanel.

Hitomi saw the concern for her in his eyes and she sat back down.

"Have you had one since Van got back?" Dryden asked softly.

"Yes," Hitomi said.

"Have you two been using a contraceptive?"

Normally Hitomi wouldn't have felt appropriate talking about these things with anyone, but Dryden's expression seemed to take down her barriers, and she felt like answering him. "Yes," she said.

"I've been thinking about why things went so badly that first time you tried to transform into Celena and why it didn't work. I know you and Van dismissed the situation as a write-off because it was your first time trying, but I don't think that's the reason why you weren't able to complete the transformation."

"You don't?"

"No, I think the reason you weren't able to do it is because you are able to transform into any one person you've ever seen, not into any two people you've ever seen. You couldn't transform into her because right now her body houses two people."

Hitomi nodded. That made perfect sense.

"I'll talk about that a little more later. The other thing I've been thinking of is that it is written in my books that The Sun God does not bleed. His body is immortal and he has stopped bleeding. The fact that you are still having your period indicates that you are not yet immortal, and also the reason … why I think …" He stopped and looked at Hitomi, like he was hoping that she would realize what he had already figured out.

"I'm not sure I understand," she said, trying to comprehend what he was trying to convey.

"I don't know when, but I think that once you achieve immortality, you will immediately stop bleeding."

"So I'm not immortal yet?" Hitomi asked.

"You stopped aging when you got your Tarot symbol. That's the first half. The second half would be your blood stopping, and thus …" Dryden said, pausing again with a serious look that Hitomi couldn't interpret.

He was clearly unhappy about having to talk to her about this, so she tried to reason it out herself without asking direct questions. He talked about her period, then he talked about how she couldn't be two people, and then he talked about her blood. The idea cemented its self in her brain and then she said it out loud, "You couldn't have been more obvious, Dryden. I'm sorry that I'm an idiot and didn't get what you were implying. You don't think Van and I will be able to have children, do you?"

He shook his head sadly, "No, I don't think you'll be able to have children."

"Could I do it before I became immortal?" Hitomi questioned quickly.

"I don't know," he said, getting up from the chair and drawing her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Kanzaki. I'm always the one who has to say these terrible things to you."

"No, Dryden," she said, holding onto his forearms. "There's no need to be sorry. These things are not your fault. You are my friend, and I know you wouldn't tell me something like this unless you studied it very carefully first. This is what you've been doing in the library, isn't it? Studying known facts to make sure that you weren't telling me false information?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"So, I'm useless to Van as a contract bound Tarot user," she said weakly. She didn't know if Van would be disappointed or not. "Wait! You haven't told Van this, have you?"

"No," Dryden said seriously, "My loyalty lies with you. You know that."

"Then please, don't tell him! Let me tell him in my own way," she begged.

"I had no intention of telling him," Dryden said easily. "I just wanted to be able to talk to you about this before I left. I hope everything will go smoothly, but if it turns out that we don't see each other for years, I didn't want you to be disappointed about not getting pregnant month after month if you were trying."

"Thank you," Hitomi said, hugging him. Then she backed off to ask him her next question. "For years?"

"I don't know how long it will take to find The Sun God. I'll have my mother with me, so it probably won't be that hard. She's good at this sort of thing. I'll try to get back as soon as I can."

"All right," Hitomi said, nodding. "So, I have another question for you. Do you think Van and I should throw out the contraceptives and try to have children now, since we may not be able to once I really become the Goddess?"

"That's up to you. Maybe that's the best plan, but maybe not. That's a decision you and Van will have to make together."

"Okay," she agreed. "Thanks for looking after me so carefully."

Hitomi said goodbye to Dryden then, and she thought she might cry as she left the room. He really was like her long lost brother. She had to focus on losing Dryden, because if she concentrated on her other losses, she wouldn't be able to make it to her bedroom without collapsing. Being herself was starting to cost her a lot more than she had been willing to give.

* * *

Author's Notes: So my darling Kaytala is back, so now I'm uploading. Special thanks to her. Honestly, she's excellent. Special thanks also to everyone who takes the time to review and to visit my forums. Speaking of the forums ... the forum for this chapter will be up momentarily. 

Also, as a real author's note, this chapter is also quite long, but this will not be continued through at least the next two chapters. Back when I was writing DM, chapters were an average of 4000 words. I've gotten a lot noiser lately, so the chapters are longer, but there are a couple shorter ones coming up. Not all the chapters in this will be approaching 7000 words long. This chapter was just sort of special because ALL of this had to go in one chapter - all of it. I couldn't let the information in this chapter slip into the chapter nine or chapter eleven - both events would have been tragic. TRAGIC.

So PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS!


	11. Trial by Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but I think this is my favourite chapter so far.

--- this is a line break---

**Chapter Eleven**

**Trial by Fire**

"Van, I have been meaning to ask you something," Hitomi said the morning after everyone had left the mansion, except herself, Van and Allen.

The sun had just risen, but there was no sunlight cutting through their blinds. Instead, the world outside was grey, cloudy and cold. It was early, so she and Van were not yet obliged to appear in the dining room to have breakfast with Allen. In fact, with only the three of them in the house, Hitomi was starting to feel a little resentful that Allen had insisted on staying. If he had gone to Madrid with the rest of them, then she and Van would have had the mansion to themselves and then, naturally they could have reverted back into their honeymoon habits. The servants had been given Dryden's order that Van was every bit as much master of the house as he was and they were to obey him the same as if Dryden were there, himself. They seemed to take it in stride. Dryden probably made unusual demands often, so they were accustomed to accommodating him.

Actually, Hitomi and Van were still in bed. Well, not exactly.

Van was sitting behind Hitomi, cross-legged trying his dangedest to tie her hair up in a ponytail. She had given him a comb and an elastic band. He had the comb in his teeth as he muttered, "Why did you want me to do this, anyway – it's impossible for me. You could have given me one of those claw things instead of this," he grunted, grabbing all her hair and pulling it high on her head. "It would have been way easier."

Hitomi was laughing. Naturally, she asked him because his attempts were so adorable and his complaining was even cuter.

"Your hair's not even long enough for this!" he exclaimed as he let go of her hair and dropped the comb beside her. But even though he was frustrated, as a typical man, he had to find a way to solve the problem. "Do you have another elastic? How about two ponytails instead?"

"Those are called pigtails," Hitomi informed him, struggling in vain to keep her mirth in check.

Van had moved and had been kneeling behind her, but when he got wind that she was laughing at him, he fell back on his butt and said disapprovingly, "Okay, Your Highness. You wanted me to do this, so why are you laughing?"

She turned around and looked at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. You're just … so cute, and sweet. I couldn't help it."

"Well, I think you asked me to do something that is really impossible. There's no way your hair is long enough for a ponytail," he said, shaking his head.

"Don't be discouraged," Hitomi said, taking the elastic from him and tying her hair up with it lickety-split. "See? It's possible. Give it another try," she said, reaching up to take the elastic out.

But Van grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Now, why would you want to do that? I went through all that work, and you're just going to take it out?"

"But you didn't actually get my hair …"

"Didn't I?" he said, smiling broadly.

"Aw, you just wanted to trick me into doing it myself!" she complained loudly.

Van laughed. "Am I that transparent? Look, doing a woman's hair just isn't my forte, all right? I'm better at other things. Flip on your stomach and I'll give you a backrub that'll make my hands worth their weight in gold."

She turned over, and felt his hands as they started at her neck. She instantly felt the white bandages on all four fingers on his left hand where he had cut himself the day before, and stopped the backrub.

"What's the matter?" he asked, getting off of her.

"It's just … your fingers. You're still hurt, aren't you? You don't have to work that hard for me. I don't want to open your wounds over something as trivial as a backrub. It isn't worth it."

"I'm fine. It wasn't a serious injury. I did it to myself, remember? I didn't cut myself deeply. They're almost healed, anyway," he said, showing her his hand. "I redid the bandages last night and look – the blood hasn't even soaked through the cloth yet."

Hitomi looked at his face and then at his hand. "I think you're starting to get an unhealthy concept of what's hurt and what's not. If you were another person, you might have needed stitches."

"Nah," he said, helping her back down onto her stomach. "You're exaggerating, but it is nice to see you worry about me so much. I'll go easy on my left hand, kay?" he paused. "Oh, and what did you want to ask me?" he questioned, changing the subject, so that Hitomi would be distracted enough to let him have his way.

Hitomi noticed the tactic, but decided to let it slide. It was really wonderful to have someone care about her so much. "It's just that you told Allen that Marlene would be coming to the mansion today, so that he could break up with her. You weren't thinking that I would call her, were you?"

"I wasn't thinking anything of the sort," Van said, suddenly sounding very grim.

"Oh, were _you_ going to call her, then?" Hitomi asked, surprised. Marlene didn't know Van. She'd never met him. Hitomi couldn't imagine how Van would be able to convince Marlene to come … and then there was the problem of transportation. They would have to go and get her.

"No," Van said clearly.

"Really? What was your plan?" Hitomi asked.

Van hesitated, "Well, I was thinking about the time that you transformed into Marlene …"

"You were going to have Allen break up with _ME_!" Hitomi interrupted, completely aghast. She flipped onto her back and stared at Van disbelievingly.

He tilted his head and gave her a half-smile. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Why?"

Van was quick to try to convince her. "Well, think about it. That way we could be sure that Allen was serious when he said that he would break up with Marlene. If neither you nor I are there, then how will we be able to tell that he's really doing the right thing? He could strike up a deal with her – like he could say, 'Hey Marlene, we just need to stay away from each other until I take care of Dilandau and then we can be together'. Or worse – he could ask her to wait until my back is turned and then he'd go running to her. That wouldn't be following the terms of our agreement, and I want to make sure that he's sincere. He has to agree not to involve others in a potentially dangerous situation."

What Van said made sense to Hitomi, but she was still uncertain. "Are you sure I'll be able to pass myself off as Marlene? She's a lot different than me. Allen will definitely notice that something is wrong, just like I did when Dilandau came to the mansion."

Van grabbed Hitomi's hand. "Don't be silly. You were expecting something like that to happen, because you'd already seen it happen twice. This is Allen we're talking about. He won't suspect a thing. As long as you sit there and look like Marlene – that'll be enough to fool him."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah, and not only that, he told me that he hasn't talked to Marlene since that day you interrupted them. I'm not sure I believe him, but we'll find out if he told me the truth when you go in to talk to him."

"How?" Hitomi asked.

"Easy! You'll just ask him why he hasn't tried to contact you. You'll be able to tell from his body language right away if he's called her or seen her, because he'll look confused," Van said.

"Okay," Hitomi said, biting her lip. "But what will I wear? Marlene doesn't dress like me at all."

Van thought for a moment. "What about your school uniform? Would that work?"

"Maybe," Hitomi said thoughtfully. "If that isn't good enough, I'll just layer the makeup on really thick and that'll probably be good enough. Oh, but Van! What if he tries to kiss me?" Hitomi fluttered – panicking. "He's acted like he really likes her."

Van touched his chin. "Yeah, that would be a problem – especially since he'll have to go break up with the real Marlene afterwards … if we're impressed with his speech."

"What do you mean?"

"If he does a good job and breaks up with you properly, then I'll have to go in and tell him that the person he just broke up with was not the real Marlene (although I have no intention of telling him about your ability to turn into other people). That now, since I'm satisfied, he has to go break up with the real girl." Here Van paused, thinking, "So there's no way you should let him kiss you. But how could you get out of it?"

Hitomi was perspiring. She'd had enough of infidelity and was severely tempted to tell Van she'd have no part in this if there wasn't some sort of guarantee that Allen wouldn't lay a hand on her. After everything that had happened, Allen was about as appealing as a mossy toadstool to her and she despised the idea of being even vaguely unfaithful to Van. To think that _this_ was his idea!

"You're a woman," Van said. "Don't you know how to sidestep this sort of thing?"

"Obviously not," Hitomi said miserably, thinking of her past points of indiscretion. She couldn't believe that Van was proposing this.

"Well, then I'll have to tell Allen that I'll be watching from a safe distance and that I'll rough him up if he touches you," Van volunteered.

Hitomi was loath to disagree with him because of her discomfort, but felt herself bound to admit that she didn't think that would work. It seemed too rash for Van to get so riled up over Marlene. He'd be going too far to protect her.

"I guess so," Van answered, discouraged. "Isn't there a way we can get through this?"

"I don't like doing this Van. I don't even like flirting with the idea of being disloyal to you. Our relationship is too precious to take for granted. I can't do this!" she said, turning her face away from him and covering her mouth with her hand painfully.

Van put his arm around Hitomi and said, "I can't just give up on him. He's been my best friend for years and if I don't make sure that he's still my friend, then I'll have to turn him out of the house or lock him up. I've thought about this carefully and this is the only way to make sure that he and I are on the same side. We've got to think of a way for this to work, without compromising you. There has to be a way."

"There is a way," Hitomi said slowly, thinking hard.

"What?" Van asked.

"I have to be allowed to walk straight out of the room or transform back into myself if something I don't like happens, or seems like it might happen. That's the only way I'll participate," she said, sounding harsh, and meaning it.

Van nodded strongly. "I'm not willing to sacrifice you, so if that's the way it's got to be, then that's fine with me. Except, if you find yourself having to transform, don't transform into yourself – transform into me. That would be terrifying for Allen, and we'd teach him an excellent lesson. Yeah, let's do it that way," he decided, swinging his legs off the edge of the bed and heading towards the dressing room.

Hitomi gaped. That was definitely a cruel idea, but Hitomi definitely saw the genius in it. Oh, Van was scary.

---this is another line break---

After lunch, Van told Allen that Marlene would be coming over. He said he was sending Hitomi to go get her.

"Can't I go along with her?" Allen asked.

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. To Hitomi the request meant that Allen wanted to spend as much time with Marlene as possible – definitely a bad sign. Hitomi was beginning to hope with all her heart that Allen wasn't deceiving Van. If he had been lying, there was no way he wasn't going to walk away without a giant hole in his heart. Van didn't like being lied to one bit.

Van shrugged his shoulders and told Allen that Hitomi and Marlene needed the time together to reconnect. Hitomi hadn't been back at her parents' condo for weeks, so he shouldn't butt in.

Allen took this better than Hitomi expected. So, the score had been one point for Bad Allen and now with that reaction, Good Allen got a point, too. It was even.

Hitomi went upstairs on the pretext of getting her car keys. She stepped into her bedroom and shut the door firmly behind her. She wasn't great at lying, herself. She felt terrible.

When she was able to relax, she went into the dressing room and changed into her school uniform as Van suggested. Above all things, she didn't want to see her sister naked that day, so she got dressed as herself. Once her last button was done up, she closed her eyes and focused on becoming Marlene. The transformation was faster this time than it had been last time … much faster.

Hitomi spent the next hour trying to imitate Marlene, both in cosmetics and personality. When the hour was up, she thought there was no way that Allen would believe that _she_ was Marlene. Even though she looked like her, it was almost laughable.

Eventually, Van came up and knocked on the door. He came in when Hitomi said it was okay.

He looked at her analytically. "Good luck," he said. "Allen's waiting for you in the downstairs sitting room. Good luck!"

"You already said that," Hitomi said, trying to sound like Marlene.

Van just smiled and held the door open for her. Hitomi knew he wouldn't dare touch her if she looked like Marlene. That would be like unfaithfulness on his side.

In the downstairs sitting room, Allen was sitting with his elbows on his knees. He looked pale and downcast. Hitomi was surprised he was getting so worked up about Marlene, but she didn't know whether his sadness indicated compliance or rebellion, so neither Good Allen nor Bad Allen got points.

Hitomi walked in and took a position by the mantel. "Why didn't you call me?" she demanded hotly – trying to sound like bratty Marlene, but she wasn't sure if it was working.

Allen was looking at the floor and he didn't look up when Hitomi spoke. Instead, he whispered. "I would have liked to, but I've been busy."

Hitomi found herself getting irritated with him. That was what all guys said, and it was always a lie. She was irritated with him because Marlene was pissed off … and extremely hurt. The sight of Allen made Hitomi's eyes swell. She knew how much Marlene had missed him and how hurt she was that he hadn't called.

But Hitomi's brain said that that was good that Allen hadn't called her. It meant that Allen hadn't lied to Van about not contacting her. Bad Allen: one – Good Allen: two.

"I told you that I was the leader of the Abaharaki," Allen said, looking up at her, his expression forlorn. "But I didn't tell you that the Abaharaki is a mere shell of what it used to be. Our numbers have dropped drastically in the past four months, and there hasn't been anything I could do about it. Right now, I'm the leader of a whole three people – three. Pretty impressive, eh?"

Hitomi just stared and looked at him pityingly. It was how Marlene felt, but Hitomi was well able to control her urge to go throw her arms around Allen's neck. Hitomi's personal conviction was enough to keep her standing firmly by the mantle.

"We lost most of our members because of a lie that the Dragon Slayers spread throughout our organization. Never mind what the lie was now – it was a lot of lies. In September, before I met you, I tried to re-recruit those we'd lost. I went and tried to talk to every one of our members, but no one would listen to me. It was a really hard time for me. All but seven of my trusted friends practically spat in my face. In the end, only three of them were able to stay on as members of the Abaharaki."

"Who were the seven people who didn't reject you?" Hitomi asked, finding Marlene's voice to ask the question.

Allen smirked. "Does that really matter now?"

"It matters to me," Hitomi said quietly – speaking for herself.

"Well, there's Van, Gaddes, Chid, Eries, Merle, Van's aunt Flo, and your sister Hitomi. Like I said, I was only able to keep three members in the end: Eries, Gaddes and Merle. That was it. The thing that hurts the most in that pack is that Van was my best friend and now … I don't know," Allen said, his head fell a little lower.

Hitomi wanted to say something to comfort him at this point. The Marlene in her head didn't know what to say and neither did Hitomi.

The moments passed, but eventually Allen found his voice and said, "I wouldn't be mentioning it to you, except that Van found my sister."

"He did!" Hitomi felt obliged to exclaim, like she didn't already know.

"Yeah, he did," Allen said, his voice sounding more distant. "I told you that she was missing and that she was the reason why I formed the Abaharaki in the first place. Well, he found her and brought her back, so it makes sense that there isn't a reason for the Abaharaki to exist anymore, but …"

"But what?" Hitomi asked when he didn't proceed.

"That bastard, Dilandau, did something to her …"

Here, Hitomi waited patiently for him to continue. She couldn't urge him on. This would be a difficult thing for him to talk about, so she would have to wait for him to volunteer the rest – no matter how long it took.

Allen sighed, a lovely sigh. Maybe the whole reason why Marlene liked him could be summed up in that motion of his. He looked like a melancholy nobleman. Maybe it was just the setting. Dryden's sitting room was exquisite. It was practically decorated like a palace. But the way Allen leaned back and brushed his hair away from his face had nothing to do with the setting – that magnetism had to be all him. Hitomi could see why he was devastatingly attractive to Marlene. Hitomi thought that Marlene must feel things more intensely – perhaps because of her youth – but at least now Hitomi understood why her sister had been so angry with her for forbidding the relationship. Allen was more than a boyfriend to her, but practically a lifestyle.

Hitomi understood something else in that moment. There was no way that she could have protected her sister from suffering heartache over Allen. All the arrows in Marlene's body pointed to Allen, and for the first time, Hitomi questioned if she and Van were wrong to prohibit their love.

Then Allen looked at her and continued, "The point is that I'm not quite finished fighting the Dragon Slayers, yet. I've thought about it and I'd rather not explain to you what happened to my sister. It's too complicated and I'd rather not burden you with my family troubles. I still have some work to do, and if somehow you were caught up in it or hurt, or possibly treated like my sister by some other beast in the Dragon Slayers because I wasn't careful enough to keep you out of harm's way – I couldn't forgive myself," Allen said deeply – like he was calling forth his words from the center of his being.

'Five points for that', Hitomi thought as Marlene's hand went to her throat. 'No, ten. Ten points.'

"I didn't expect you to take that news so well," Allen admitted, throwing his arm behind the couch casually. "I know you well, so I was expecting drama."

She bit her lip. "When will we be able to be together?" she asked quietly, feeling something akin to tears in her eyes.

Here, Allen seemed to gain confidence and he stood up. It was five, four, three, two steps until he made it to Hitomi.What was he going to do?

Hitomi put out her hand to stop him from making it to her. Her palm fell on his chest – it was heaving. She dropped her head down, her other hand was clenched at her own heart. She never thought that this situation would take such an emotional toll on her. Allen was going to break her heart. Hitomi breathed in deeply and focused on her role. She wasn't really Marlene – it was just a trick. This was her ability at its epitome, wasn't it?

"Don't touch me," she rasped desperately. "Don't touch me if you're not going to be with me!"

Allen immediately backed off. Not slowly, but quickly, he walked to the other end of the room and swung the drapes open wide – letting the afternoon sunshine into the room.

The Marlene in her was crying, but the Hitomi in her was collecting her thoughts and assigning points. He backed off. Twenty points! That made the score Good Allen: 32 – Bad Allen – one.

Hitomi crushed her eyes together, and forced herself to ask her unanswered question again, "When will we be able to be together?"

"I don't know. After this mess with the Dragon Slayers is cleared up, then I'm going abroad. I'll be traveling to Spain, and when I come back, there is no way that I'll be living in this city."

"Why?" Hitomi asked, looking up at him, wet-lashed.

"I can't live in a city that shares my blood stained past, or a city that houses the memory of the Dragon Slayers. I'm certain that Van will crush them before the end of the year," Allen said, looking out the window. The expression on his face was pure and almost content. "He may not be my friend anymore, but I understand, since he's in love. Normally, I'd give him up for the woman I love." Here, he turned and looked at Marlene like they were in a funnel. "But the woman I love isn't available. I'll come back for you when you turn eighteen. I promise you that."

Then he came towards Hitomi, kissed her hand and walked gallantly out of the room.

When the door shut – Hitomi melted into her own appearance. He really was like a movie star to pull off a scene like that. If he acted that cool when he gave his speech to the real girl, Hitomi knew Marlene would wait for him forever.

But even though Hitomi was herself again, she was shivering and she had goose bumps on her arms. She had just seen something that she shouldn't have seen. That was supposed to be an extremely private moment for Allen and Marlene and she had barged in on it – quite unnecessarily. She felt dirty, like she had done something truly dishonest and totally dishonourable.

And this was the truth of her power? She was supposed to trick people into believing that she was someone else so that she could learn information she wasn't naturally entitled to? It seemed wrong. So, wrong …

When Van came in, he found her sitting next to the sofa – her face and arms resting on the cushion Allen had occupied.

"Are you okay?" he asked, seeing her red eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, sitting up. She hadn't exactly cried, so she acted like she didn't need to be comforted.

"So, how did it go?" Van asked. The concerned look on his face was serious. Hitomi had wondered if he had somehow found a way to watch what happened, but when she saw his face like that, she knew he hadn't peeped.

Hitomi put a hand in her hair and ruffled it. It was thin and pathetic compared to Marlene's glorious locks. "It went fine," Hitomi said – feeling down and disheartened. "Allen passed with flying colours. He's a good guy and he's worthy of your friendship. I'm just not so sure that we're worthy of his. What a dirty trick we've pulled."

"So, you got to the end of his rejection without having to transform?" Van asked.

Hitomi nodded.

"Okay. I'll go tell him he passed my test," Van said, getting up. "Hey, Hitomi. Are you all right?"

She glared at him. She couldn't help it, even though she hadn't put forth any serious opposition to his plan. She was every bit as much to blame as him, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad.

Hitomi slapped her head with both her hands and got up off the floor. When she started to feel bad everything always boomeranged back at her. Everything that was wrong. Everything Dryden had told her and everything she still hadn't shared with Van was weighing down on her as well as the wrong they had just done Allen. She even began feeling bad about Millerna again. That was the extent of the snowball that was building up in her heart.

'Well, if Van wasn't so wrapped up in his revenge,' she thought angrily, as she stalked out of the room. 'Then maybe I could find the time to tell him what's really wrong with me.'

She didn't realize that she left Van standing in the middle of the room with a wounded expression on his face.

---this is the last line break, now onto the author's notes---

Author's Notes: I know this looks a little different than usual. Please try to bear it, as I couldn't get Firefox to work, so I'm having to work with polly wolly crappy Explorer.

Anyway, a SUPER BIG THANKS to Kaytala for betareading and a REALLY BIG THANKS to everyone who endured the two week silence by coming to review instead of pouting. I somehow managed to finish chapter 12 this last week and chapter 13 is also close to being finished, so I'll probably get to update next week. But as chapter 12 is not a long chapter, I will most likely update it as soon as it is ready, and that might be a little early. Thanks again to everyone who reviews - I REALLY APPRECIATE it! Cheers!

The forum will be up directly. If you go to the forum, please remember to review here first. And if you have specific questions - going to the forum is usually the fastest way for me to answer them. So - review here and then go to the forum. That is all. Cheers!


	12. Most Wanted

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but I'm starting to wish that I did.

** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Most Wanted**

Being master of Dryden's mansion was a lot more than Hitomi had initially thought. In her inexperience, she thought that it meant little more than that she and Van could stay on at the mansion and have their meals served to them in the dinning room. She didn't realize how often the housekeeper needed to consult the 'master'. Apparently, the cook had gone on a grocery-shopping spree because he thought that Dryden's visitors would be staying on indefinitely. He wanted to treat them right, so he had gotten really good food. But then Dryden and all but three visitors had gone off to Europe so the kitchen was loaded with tons of food that was probably going to go to waste. What did Van think they should do? Van ended up spending the afternoon going through the fridges figuring out what could be done with all of it. Even though Van and Hitomi were not on good terms with anyone they knew in the city, he ended up arranging for massive care packages to be sent to Aunt Flo, the doctor, Hitomi's parents, and even Merle. Hitomi found him in the kitchen writing out addresses and giving one of the maids instructions on which colour of ribbon to use.

When Hitomi came into the kitchen he asked her, "Hey Hitomi, we've still got three more pineapples, two trays of kiwi, and enough pre-made chocolate mousse to make an actual moose. If only we had a mold!" he groaned. "Do you know anyone we could send another care package to?"

Hitomi thought. "Only Yukari and Amano."

"Who are they?"

"Some of my old friends from high school," Hitomi said, picking up a gorgeous green pepper. "You don't have to find homes for ALL this food, do you?" Hitomi asked, looking at the array of vegetables that was also out on the counter.

"No. The chef here is going to make soup," Van said, indicating a happy chef standing at the stove behind him. "This much was his idea, but he didn't know what to do with the fruit and there's no way we'll make it through all this mousse. I don't even like mousse," he proclaimed crankily, before grabbing Hitomi and dragging her to where he had been writing. "So, your friends' names and addresses – write them down. If we can get rid of two more sets of these baskets she's making up than I'm sure we can eat the rest ourselves. I'm sorry. What's your name?" he asked the maid.

"Belinda," she said smiling.

"Thanks for your help, Belinda," Van said nodding to the girl like she was a soldier under his command.

"Hey Van," Hitomi asked, taking the pen he handed to her. "What happened with Allen when you told him that we were tricking him? I saw him drive away in the truck. How did your conversation go?" What Hitomi didn't tell him was that it had been over an hour since then, and she had only now cheered herself up enough to ask Van if Allen was upset with them. She had agonized all that time about how she could approach Van to ask him. Because of their deceitfulness, he felt like a stranger to her.

"Oh," Van said looking around at the kitchen staff. It was obvious that he didn't think the kitchen was the best place to tell her. "Allen said that he saw something similar when the two of you went to The Voltage Room together, but he was surprised that I knew how to do something like that. It was wrong, but I let him think that I was the one who had created the illusion – like Folken. I suppose that's not impossible. I could have done it that way, but I wouldn't have." Then he said quieter, so that only she could hear, "I would never use that bastard's abilities, but I let Allen think that I had in order to keep your secret safe."

"Was going that far really necessary? I could have taken responsibility for my end of the lie," Hitomi whispered.

"Why should you?" Van asked her, moving so there was no space between them and putting his arms around her. "It was my idea."

"Was Allen upset?"

"Of course he was upset. He decked me!" Van said, turning his head and showing Hitomi a red spot on his jaw that she hadn't noticed when she came into the kitchen.

Hitomi put her fingers up and touched his cheek tenderly. Maybe, she could forgive Van if Allen hit him. She reached up and planted a gentle kiss on his sore spot. "You didn't hit him back, did you?"

"Of course not!" Van exclaimed, taking hold of Hitomi's shoulders and putting a little space between them. "I told him he could hit me again if it would make him feel better. I deserved it for not trusting him, but …" Van paused. "I'll tell you the rest later. He's not mad at me, and he went to go break up with Marlene for real. He'll be back later. I told him he could take his time, so I think he's taking her on one last date – like he originally planned to. Now, you, write down those addresses!"

Hitomi felt easier when Van told her that Allen wasn't mad, so she did as Van told her and wrote out Yukari's address, but she didn't know Amano's. She'd never been to his house. She told Van she didn't know.

"That's okay," he said, taking Yukari's address from her. "They're friends, right? We'll send both packages to Yukari's house and she can call him so that he can pick his up from her. That'll work, right?"

Hitomi nodded. "Probably."

"Okay then. Belinda, these last two will be from Hitomi Kanzaki and Dryden Fassa. Dryden was their friend too, right?" he asked, directing himself towards Hitomi.

"I think he knew Amano, but won't putting both our names on the packages make it look like Dryden and I are a couple?" Hitomi questioned. "If you don't quit pairing me off with your friends, we're going to have problems," she giggled.

Van looked pained and then he laughed too. "Belinda, those two will just be from Hitomi then," Van said before moving away to speak to the chef.

He promised that he would tell her the rest about his conversation with Allen later. Hitomi would definitely hold him to that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within two hours of the care packages being delivered, there was a buzz from the front gate. A Miss Merle Irini was there asking to see Hitomi. Van wanted to try to fit his twelve hours of training into an already busy day, so he and Hitomi had been on their way to the training gym when they were interrupted. Van looked vexed when the guard announced their visitor.

"Did your note say that the care package was from me?" Hitomi asked, looking at Van accusingly.

"No," he said. "I said it was from me. I wrote that I was sorry I had caused her so much trouble, but I didn't leave Dryden's address or anything. I specifically requested that the address wasn't to be disclosed. So, I don't know what she's doing here."

"Well, ask the guard to ask her why she's here," Hitomi insisted. She was definitely nervous at having to see Merle again.

"What's her business?" Van asked, holding the button down.

"She says she's with the police and she's here to interview Mrs. Fanel about the night the Dragon Slayers attacked the house," the guard said after a pause. That was right! Hitomi hadn't been interviewed by the police yet.

"Let her in," Van instructed. When he let go of the button he groaned.

"Was Merle an officer?" Hitomi asked. She couldn't remember if she had ever been told what Merle's job at the police station was.

"No," Van answered. "She was in administration, but it's been awhile since I talked to her, so that might have changed. I don't know." Van paused and looked at her. "Hitomi, you don't realize what the problem is – Merle must have seen the report about what happened here. I know Dryden was trying to keep the incident out of the media. He kept telling the police that what happened was hardly more than vandalism and that he didn't want a fuss, but no matter what he did to try to cover things up – Merle clearly heard that you are my wife. The guard just called you 'Mrs. Fanel'. For the love of all that's holy – I hope that's not the real reason she's here."

"Do you really think that's why she's here – to talk to me about how I stole you from her or something? Wouldn't that be a little too much? I mean, I wouldn't want to talk to me if I were her. It would be too humiliating."

Van tilted his chin and looked at Hitomi. "I don't know. She has been known to go over the top."

Van took Hitomi's hand reassuringly and they headed back towards the front of the house together.

By the time they got to the front hall, Merle was standing on the front rug actively refusing the valet her car keys and telling the maid that she wouldn't give her hat and coat to her. She said she was only coming in for one moment.

Hitomi looked at her. It was a very scary moment for her. Eries had told her that Merle had not taken Van's rejection well, and Hitomi couldn't help but feel partly responsible for her misery. The Merle who stood on the rug in her square-toed black boots did not look miserable at all. Instead, she looked angry, pouty, and impatient.

"I will not be staying long," Merle told the maid stoutly, and the girl immediately backed off.

"Hi Merle," Van said, trying to look welcoming. He went towards her and offered her his hand.

She looked at him and then his hand. Then she looked at him again. Hitomi thought she wasn't going to shake hands with him when Merle finally put her red and orange stripped mitten in his hand. The ensuing handshake was one of the most uncomfortable Hitomi had ever seen. It was like neither of them had ever seen how to shake someone's hand before and now they were trying to do it.

"Hi Merle," Hitomi said, trying to be the right mixture of friendly and distant, so that she didn't seem patronizing. It was hard.

Merle looked at Hitomi, but didn't say a greeting. Instead, she said, "Hitomi, I'm here to remind you that Lieutenant Freid still needs your statement at the station." She reached into her purse and pulled out a personal computer. "When can I schedule you an appointment to meet with him?"

"Early next week," Hitomi said weakly, thinking about how it was Friday. She was so uncomfortable – Merle's voice was so crisp and professional. It made the muscles up Hitomi's back crank her back straight.

"How's nine-thirty Monday morning?" Merle asked, looking at the schedule.

"Perfect," Hitomi said drearily.

"Excellent," Merle said. She finished programming the appointment and then snapped the device shut and put it back in her purse. "Now," she said, looking at Van. "I have some information for Allen. Is he here?"

"No," Van said, shaking his head. "He's out."

"That's too bad," Merle said, turning to leave. "I was just going to tell him that …"

Just then, the front door opened and the white light from the cloudy day poured in the darkened hall. Allen poked his head in. "Merle," he said, smiling broadly when he saw her standing in his way. "Do you think it's okay to park your car in the middle of the driveway? I can't leave the truck outside or it'll freeze over and I'll never get it started again."

Merle backed away from the door, giving Allen enough room to get in. "Hey Allen!" Merle exclaimed, looking happy to see someone friendly other than Hitomi and Van. "You look happy."

"Do I?" Allen said, shutting the door behind him. "I'm not, really. I'm not. I'm faking it so you won't think I'm a jerk."

"Why would I think you're a jerk?" Merle asked.

Apparently, Allen flirted with Merle too. Hitomi couldn't say she was surprised, but he had just come back from breaking up with Marlene. Should he really look that happy even when he said he wasn't?

"Well, everyone is thinking that about me today," Allen said slowly, looking at Van.

From Allen's comment it was easy to infer that Marlene had definitely called him a jerk that day, probably several times. Poor guy!

Merle smiled and said to Allen, "How about a hug, then? If you're feeling blue?"

Allen took her up on her offer and held her closely.

"Thanks. I needed that," he said as they pulled apart.

"Anytime," she said, looking like a precious younger sister rather than Hitomi's rival – perhaps for the first time. "Besides," Merle continued. "I came to tell you something really special ... something you've been dying to hear."

"What?" Allen asked, moving to take off his coat. "Hey Merle, why are you still wearing your coat? Aren't you going to hang out with us for awhile?"

Merle eyed Hitomi.

When their eyes met, Hitomi wasn't sure if she should smile, or nod, or look displeased or what. It wasn't like she and Merle had anything to argue about. Merle was sad because Van rejected her and married someone else, but even so – Hitomi was starting to learn that life kept on going even after the prince made Cinderella into a princess. What kind of a girl was Hitomi if she wasn't kind to her?

"I'd better not," Merle started to say, but Hitomi interrupted her.

"Why don't you stay?" Hitomi said, trying to sound outgoing. "I know Van sent you a care package, but we got stuck with an unbelievable amount of food. You should stay Merle, and help us eat it."

"I have to be back at the station before five in order to finish work, so I only planned to stay a few minutes. I mostly just came to tell you that you need to make your statement and to tell Allen my news," Merle said slowly, tucking a loose strand of her ruddy hair behind her ear.

"What's your news?" Allen asked, giving his coat and gloves to the maid.

"Dilandau has a warrant out on him. Because of the incident here, the police are finally going after him. What happened here was so obviously him and now they have at least one solid crime that they can pin him on. With Hitomi, we have a witness that he was here, that he broke into Mr. Fassa's home and tried to kidnap Celena and that he was involved in the murders of Kristy and Millerna. It probably won't be much to start with, but they've got some other things that could be investigated if he could be interrogated as well. I don't know if it will amount to anything, but Allen, if you catch him and bring him to the police, we can detain him. Okay? So, please bring him in."

"You're not going to ask me to promise to bring him in?" Allen asked, his eyes intense.

"No," Merle said, shaking her head. "You might not be able to keep your promise for some reason and I understand that. You don't hand out inflexible orders, so I won't ask you to make inflexible promises. You've always been a good leader."

"Thank you, Merle," Allen said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You've always been a good helper, too. I know working at the police station wasn't easy for you since you're so vibrant. I've always appreciated your work and I know Van has, too."

Here Van nodded thoughtfully.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am for this last piece of information," Allen said.

"Last piece of information?" Merle questioned.

"You see, we're completely disbanded, but there's one last thing I'd like to ask you to do before you're your own person again. Please smooth something over at the police station for me. Please?"

"What?" Merle asked. Now she looked worried.

"Lieutenant Fried asked us to all stay in the city for the next couple of weeks, but I'm afraid Dryden, Eries, Gaddes and Celena left for Madrid yesterday."

"What?" Merle exclaimed. "How could they do that? We need them as witnesses."

"I know," Allen said. "But I didn't want to risk Dilandau coming after Celena again, so we moved them out. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll come back if we need them, but I won't be asking Celena to come back to this city until after Dilandau is behind bars. Got it?"

Merle looked resigned to her fate, which she clearly didn't think was an easy one. "So, after I smooth things over for you, I'm no longer a member of the Abaharaki? What should I do, Allen?" As Merle asked these questions, she didn't look miserable, but she looked so uncertain. "I won't be able to be friends with any of you anymore, will I?"

"I don't know what fate has in store for me, Merle, but we'll always be friends – even if we're not together," Allen said.

Van was looking at the floor now; his expression hadn't changed.

"Is that all the advice you have for me?" Merle asked Allen.

"No," Allen said, looking more serious. "I think you should work at the police station for the next couple months and then I think you can do whatever you want. Is there anything you've wanted to do? You don't have to continue police work. You could find another career."

Merle laughed. "Don't be silly, Allen. As long as the Dragon Slayers exist, then I must continue to work at the police station – like Van said." She looked towards Van and their eyes met. Hitomi didn't know what transpired between the two of them at that moment, but Merle broke contact with Van and made a show of looking at her watch to see what time it was. "Looks like I've got to go. Come see me sometime, Allen. I'd like to catch up and hear all your news."

Then she bid everyone good-bye and headed out the door.

Van and Allen exchanged looks and then Van unexpectedly headed straight out the door after Merle without bothering to put his shoes or coat on. The door slammed heavily behind him.

Hitomi immediately rushed to have a look out the window, but Allen rapidly stood in front of the window, blocking her view.

"Allen, what are you doing?" Hitomi asked hotly. She couldn't figure out why he wouldn't let her watch them.

"From what I heard," Allen said. "Van didn't get a chance to explain things _properly_ to Merle. You know, about you and him. If he doesn't do it now, he might not get another chance."

Hitomi shook her head irritably. "So, what's your point? He's _my_ husband, and I don't think he'd mind it if I had a look." Why was Allen in her way, anyway? Why should he care? Hitomi's reason for wanting to have a look at Van and Merle's exchange was quite pure. She just wanted to make sure that Van didn't say the wrong thing and make Merle cry again out of sadness. She wanted Merle to go away feeling uplifted, not downtrodden, and Hitomi felt that she had to have a look at them in order to make sure that Van didn't mess it up. He didn't want to hurt her. If he made a mess, maybe Hitomi might be able to do something to help.

Allen looked at Hitomi tenderly, making her look into his eyes instead of over his shoulder. "Don't you think this a private moment between the two of them? Maybe it would be better not to intrude."

When Allen said these words, all the blood in Hitomi's body fell into her knees, leaving her head, throat, and heart completely empty. She had intruded upon that one moment that should have belonged only to Allen and Marlene and now she was trying to do the same thing with Van and Merle. It was sneaky and intrusive and … honestly none of her business.

Hitomi turned her head away because she felt sick at this realization. She stepped away from the window and Allen. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I won't try to look." Then she went up the stairs.

She didn't hear Allen say anything to try to stop her. It didn't matter to her if he did – she had to be alone.

Hitomi went into her suite and shut the door behind her. In a situation like this, what could she do? She felt sick and … extremely sorry. Only a bath could help her now. She went into the bathroom and shut that door behind her, too. She plugged the drain in the tub and started the water running.

Within a few minutes she was in the steamy water with a washcloth on her forehead. Dryden said that wisdom and water went together. Maybe if she lay in the tub long enough, she would be able to understand everything – especially Van and Allen.

That moment with Allen, when she had pretended to be Marlene, had messed Hitomi up. Now, when she looked at Allen, she didn't see a hopeless man-whore who couldn't be trusted, but instead saw a young man that her sister loved with all her heart. Thoughts like that confused Hitomi. It was hard to remember who to side with – her own judgment or Marlene's feelings.

Then there was Van – much more difficult to interpret. Hitomi was trying to understand his motivations. Folken didn't seem like such a bad guy after all. At least, Akira had loved him as much as she could have loved anybody. Hitomi didn't understand why Van didn't want to learn more about Folken or even give him a chance to explain himself. Now Hitomi believed strongly that there had to be another story about the deaths of Folken and Van's parents. There had to be something that Van didn't know. There had to be one piece of important information that Van had never heard and Hitomi believed that once he heard it – Van would be able to love Folken and accept him as his brother.

But what would happen now? Now that there was a warrant for Dilandau's arrest and Van had only one thing to stop him from going after Folken. He said that he wanted to master all eight elements first – that was the only thing that was stopping him. Well, he had mastered fire, air, water, ice, and now Dryden helped him to learn earth. Hitomi knew he had been practicing lightning, but she wasn't sure how far he'd gotten with it. What would Van's move be once he was ready?

Hitomi didn't know.

She splashed some of the bathwater on her face and prayed for inspiration.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime later, Hitomi was sitting on her bed drying her hair with a fluffy green bath towel when Van came into the bedroom.

"Hello Sweetling," he said when he saw her. The dark strands of his hair were falling into his eyes as he pulled his wet socks off and threw them into the laundry basket. Then he came and lay down on the bed beside Hitomi.

"Hi," she said softly, as she wondered if it was normal for someone to have such a splendid tan in November. She bent down and kissed his forehead, mouth and throat. Then she smiled. Van always had such a good taste! "How did things go with Merle?" she asked.

"Very well," he said smiling. "You know Hitomi, what Allen told me about his experience breaking up with you this afternoon was really … curious."

"Curious?"

"Sorry, I can't think of how else to describe what he said. He said that when he was talking with you, that he could sense that something was different, but he didn't know what or how to describe it. He said that you weren't like Marlene."

"He commented on it at the time. He said he was expecting me to be more dramatic," Hitomi said.

"Really? I told him that it wasn't really Marlene, but my best attempt at conjuring a double. He said she was more mature than the Marlene he knew, and that the difference attracted him very much. He said he felt a hundred percent broken hearted when he left the double I made in the drawing room. When he got back just now, I asked him if the real girl had the same affect on him. Do you know what he said?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"He said that breaking up with the real girl was much easier. She panicked and begged and cried, whereas when you pretended to be her, you couldn't hide that you were a woman and you acted like it. He said he felt like he could have waited forever for the girl I created, but the real Marlene … he didn't know what he'd been fighting for. She seemed like a kid to him. So, I told him. I told him that the girl he left in the drawing room is the woman he'll get if he waits until Marlene is old enough for him. He won't come back to a brat – he'll come back to a woman who has waited faithfully for him."

"Do you think she will wait?" Hitomi questioned.

"I'm sure she will," Van said, curving his lips into a slight smile.

"Do you think Allen will wait?"

Van sat up and brought Hitomi close to him, helping her to relax on the pillows. "I _know_ he will," Van said deeply, before he covered her mouth with his. "He's almost as determined as I am."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Special thanks to Kaytala for beta reading. Special thanks to everyone who reviews and visits the forum. You guys rock my world! It's like short bread with zero calaries. LOVE YOU GUYS!

So, as some of you have probably guessed - this is the half way point. After this I will begin a new plot arch and BOOM - let's get ready to RUMBLE! Yeah, a lot of fun stuff coming up.

Also, I'm doing an opinion poll on my blog wildmoonswing (this blog address can be found on my profile) regarding my next writing project. If you have an interest in reading my stuff after MoaG is complete then please come and leave an opinion. It's very valuable to me. Thanks!

And with that - I'm going to set up the forum for thiss chapter. Cheers!


	13. A Captured Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Escaflowne', and I don't own 'Black Cat'. The title for this chapter is a rip-off of a 'Black Cat' episode name, except that I believe it was called 'A Captured Cat'. **  
**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Thirteen**

**A Captured Dragon**

As it turned out, Merle had one more piece of information that she saved just for Van in case she got a chance to speak to him privately. Through her police contacts and because of the boys that were arrested the night the Dragon Slayers attacked the mansion, Merle had learned that there was going to be a Dragon Slayer rally, similar to the one that Hitomi had been pinned against a dartboard at so many months before. There was a really good chance that Dilandau would be hosting it, like he had hosted the one that Hitomi had gone to. It would be taking place the upcoming Friday. It was a special event, because the police knew it was happening but had purposefully decided not to go. This was the reason it was good information for Van and Allen. Merle said it was a thank-you for Van, because he had turned out to be the sort of man she believed he was.

Hitomi sort of expected to see Merle when she went to the police station on Monday morning to meet with Lieutenant Freid, but she was no where to be seen. After Hitomi's interview, she asked the Lieutenant if Merle had come to work that day. He responded that he didn't think she had. She had phoned and said she wasn't feeling well, so she would be missing work. Hitomi didn't believe it. She thought it had to be an excuse. It sounded like Merle was intentionally avoiding her. Well, Hitomi didn't see the point in that. From what Lieutenant Freid said to her during their discussion, it sounded like she'd have to be pretty noisy if she was going to testify against Dilandau. Doubtless, she and Merle would meet many times in the future if Dilandau ended up being tried in court.

Before Hitomi went to the station, it had already been decided by Van and Allen that all three of them were going to go to the Dragon Slayer stadium on the night of the rally. It had been repaired and completed since Hitomi and Van had ruined it. Their plan was to drag Dilandau out by his tongue, or whatever appendage they planned on ripping off. Hitomi listened to Van and Allen make their plans.

They were going to dress up like Dragon Slayers and walk into the stadium like they were just part of the crowd when everyone was lining up to get in. Then they were going to take pictures of whatever happened in the stadium from the bleachers, whether it was knife fights or motorcycle races or whatever illegal activity they had going on that night. They were going to wait until the end of the night when it was quiet, then Van was going to cause a huge ruckus like the clashing of the titans, burning down the stadium for sure this time, and then they were going to snag Dilandau and turn him in to the police.

Hitomi listened to all this with a scowl on her face.

Van said over and over that he wasn't going after Folken, at least not that night, because he wasn't ready. He said that since Folken had his blood he could do everything Van was supposed to be able to do – use all eight elements – and if he didn't go to fight Folken when he was one hundred percent prepared, then there was no way he would win. He said he planned on running knees to nose if he 'accidentally' met Folken while they were at the stadium.

Hitomi didn't believe him.

Van and Allen sat around encouraging each other to get more and more angry, and not just about Dilandau. Van was really mad that the police weren't going to be involved. He said how ineffectual they were about a million times and Hitomi was tiring of it. She didn't understand herself why they weren't going to do anything to stop the rally when a few people would probably die at it. She hadn't been the one to talk to Merle, but she knew there had to be a good reason for it. She wasn't interested in criticizing them.

On the Wednesday before the rally, Hitomi was lying in her bed, waiting for Van to come upstairs to join her. She was thinking about Allen and Van. She didn't feel good about their plan. It seemed too simple – like it wouldn't work. They would be caught for sure and Allen would be hurt or killed because she and Van might not be able to bring all three of them out safely. Van might even be killed too, if the Dragon Slayers were expecting them to show up.

She thought their plan was bad, and she had an uneasy feeling in her heart that Van was lying through his teeth about not wanting to meet Folken. He would meet Folken for sure and they would definitely battle (Hitomi was tearing up by this point in her thought process) and one or both of them would be killed.

If Van killed Folken, Hitomi knew that she would never be able to have a good relationship with him. Their marriage would be broken because Van would have slaughtered the one person Akira loved. Not only that, but Van's heart would turn into the cold unfeeling heart of a murderer and Hitomi wouldn't be able to reach him with her love if she wanted to.

If Van died … then Van would be gone … and Hitomi couldn't force herself to envision her future without Van.

Neither of these things could be allowed to happen. She couldn't let any of these things happen. There was only one thing to be done – Allen and Van couldn't be allowed to attend that rally! She had to stop them, but how?

It was Wednesday night, and she didn't have long to plan, but she knew she had to come up with something. If Van and Allen were working hard on their scheme to get into the stadium without being detected, then she would work hard too, and she would figure out how to keep them at the mansion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Late Friday afternoon.

Hitomi had been thinking and she had finally worked out almost every phase of her plan, and even if she was inexperienced at the sort of underground work Van and Allen were so accustomed to, she thought her plan had a much better chance at succeeding than Van and Allen's … unless they weren't telling her something. Well, it didn't really matter to Hitomi if they were keeping something from her. Neither of them was going to leave the mansion that night. She would make sure of that.

It was five o'clock. The stadium doors opened at eight.

Hitomi wished that she'd been able to come up with a better plan on how to trap Allen. Her best idea had been so … pathetic.

Hitomi took the screwdriver she had borrowed back to the tool box in the garage and then went upstairs to her closet in her dressing room. She opened the doors and looked at her shopping bags one more time. This was going to be a really hard thing to pull off and she was having second thoughts about the morality of it. She remembered how much she suffered intruding on Allen and Marlene and their special moment, but this was far more serious than that had been. If she didn't intervene Van and Allen might both die that night and Hitomi wouldn't let that happen.

She pulled out the first of her four bags – a complete outfit from the most popular teen girl clothing store in the mall. Marlene would wear nothing less. Hitomi went to the mirror and held the coral coloured sweater against her chest. This was exactly the sort of thing Marlene would wear – especially on a Friday afternoon when she was about to meet Allen.

Hitomi winked at herself in the mirror for a confidence booster and hastily put the clothes on.

Hopefully, Van wouldn't come in while she was changing. Hopefully he was in the training gym like he had been all week.

Hitomi put on the standard layer of mascara and headed for the door – not yet changed into Marlene. When she got downstairs, she hid under the stairs in the great hall and blinked twice and whoops – she'd changed into Marlene. Now she had to go and find Allen.

Hitomi wasn't sure where she'd find him, but she was prepared to look hard for him. As it turned out he was pacing the hall where Celena's room had been. Hitomi peeked down the hall and waited until he saw her.

"Marlene?" he called when he spied her at the end of the hall.

She smiled playfully at him and left the hallway – heading towards their destination – the pantry.

Allen chased after her calling, "Marlene, is that you?"

Hitomi turned and blew a kiss at him and then darted into another hallway.

Mercy! Dryden's mansion was massive. If they were in her parents' condo she wouldn't have to have led him further than ten steps. This was hard work. But if they were in her parent's condo there was no way that she'd be able to persuade Allen to enter the pantry of his own free will without asking him to get her a pickle jar off the highest shelf. _ Dang it! _ Why hadn't she thought of that instead of going through this whole charade? Stupid!

Allen was running now to catch up with her.

_Almost there … _

Hitomi ran hard.

_Almost there …_

Hitomi whipped into a darkened hallway and behind the open panty door before Allen made it around the corner.

"Marlene?" Allen asked, slowing down as he entered the dark hallway. "It's not really you, is it?"

Hitomi was watching him through the crack near the hinges. He saw the open pantry door. _Please let him follow Marlene inside. Please! _Her heart was pounding like ten thousand stampeding elephants. She couldn't think of the meaning behind his words because of the frantic beating of her heart. It didn't occur to her to question why he was chasing Marlene if he knew that she wasn't real. Hitomi was thinking only of her goal. If Allen didn't go inside …

"Marlene?" he said, edging towards the door and feeling for the light switch.

Hitomi exhaled slowly. He was going to have to go inside. She knew that there wasn't a light switch – only a string hanging from the bulb in the middle of the room. He'd have to go inside if he wanted to turn on the light.

"This is another trick, isn't it? But, I …" he said, stepping inside.

Hitomi slammed the door shut and locked it. The door hadn't had a lock on it before, but Hitomi had been here earlier with a screwdriver and changed the door handle for one that did. It was an old trick Van had taught her when she lived in his old house, before it burned down. Now, she was holding the key in her hand. She threw it up in the air and caught it. Then she changed back into herself.

"Allen," she called into the pantry with her own voice. "I've decided that it's not a good idea for you and Van to go to the Dragon Slayer rally tonight and I'm forbidding you to go. There's plenty of food in there, so you won't starve and I'll have Belinda let you out when the rally is over."

"Hitomi?" he shouted, sounding earnestly pissed. "Let me out! How could you do _this_ to me? Why do you and Van think it is okay to make a fool out of me?"

"A fool out of you? I'm trying to save your life!" Hitomi shouted back.

"I never asked you to!" he bellowed through the door.

"Shut up, Allen, or I'll flood the room!" Hitomi threatened, interrupting whatever he was going to say.

"You wouldn't!" Allen yelled back, banging on the door with his fist.

"I would!" she retorted, knowing perfectly well that she didn't have the time to do such a thing.

The only thing she could do now was to move some furniture against the door and hope that Allen wouldn't break the door down. So, she propped a massive chair under the knob, and it wasn't easy to do. As a matter of fact, she was sweating when she was done.

She looked at her watch - five thirty. Trapping Van wouldn't be a tenth this easy. She'd had to work out quite the scheme. It wasn't going to be easy to pull off. He had told her that she was a woman and should know how to work her charms in such a way that she should be able to get what she wanted out of any man. Well, that wasn't exactly what he had said, but he did seem to think that she should be a pro at getting any guy to do what she wanted. Well, she'd have to try it out now, but no playful batting of her eyelashes would work on Van. He was too bent on revenge and too used to getting so much more than that. This feminine wile would have to be hardcore as nothing else would catch his attention when he was so focused on getting Dilandau and Folken. Luckily, Hitomi had never actively seduced him before. She knew she could get his attention that way.

Allen was still hitting the door when Hitomi left him there. There was no need for conversation. Either the door could hold him or it couldn't. There weren't any half-ways.

Hitomi went back up to her dressing room and got the second bag out of her closet. It was a bouquet of red roses that she'd picked up from the florist. She'd bought them the day before and kept them in the closet – they looked wilted, but Hitomi knew that it didn't matter for what she had in mind. She took them into the bedroom and ripped the blossoms to shreds, scattering the petals across the bedspread.

Then she went back into the dressing room and got out the last two bags. One was from a premiere sex shop and the other was merely from a lingerie boutique. If this didn't catch Van's attention, it was going to be very bad for her. She knew she wasn't sexy, but if what she bought at the lingerie boutique didn't make her irresistible then she'd never be remotely sexy in her entire life, and that was a depressing, if not a scary thought.

One phase of Hitomi's plan that wasn't worked out to the last detail was that she had no idea how to get Van up to the bedroom from the training gym so early before he and Allen were planning on leaving for the stadium. If Hitomi and Van were in their own home, she would have just gone down in her lingerie, but she couldn't risk meeting one of the servants. What was she going to do?

She got on the intercom and got Belinda. "Hey Belinda, if you see Van, could you send him upstairs?" Hitomi asked, trying to sound lighthearted.

"Yes Ma'am," she said obediently.

"Oh, and if you hear someone screaming and kicking in the pantry, it's just Allen. Don't worry about it and definitely don't let him out. Make sure to tell the other staff members. If they have any questions about it, be sure to send them to me. Okay?" Hitomi said, hoping that she sounded confident.

"Uh …" Belinda stuttered. "Why is he locked in the pantry?"

"He followed a little white rabbit down a rabbit hole," Hitomi explained in a dark ominous voice. She smiled. Yeah, an explanation like that could mean anything.

"I see," the girl squeaked.

"Thanks," Hitomi said, letting go of the intercom button.

The humour of the moment was helping to relieve Hitomi's stress and she was very tense. Trapping Allen and Van was only one stage of her plan. The rest was far more complicated and more dangerous. She was worried about Van and Allen getting hurt or being killed, but if she went through with everything she had planned – her chances probably weren't much better. _ No! They were better!_ She had to keep telling herself that. Van and Allen's plan was half-baked and dangerous. Her plan was sensible and it would likely save everyone from serious transgression and further misunderstanding … even though Van would probably be so angry with her that he'd burst a blood vessel. Well, she'd work it out with him. Eventually, he'd understand why she did everything she was planning to do and they would come to terms.

She nodded her head confidently and started pulling her pink Marlene-sweater over her head.

She should have thought this out more carefully. It was going to be six o'clock soon and if Van didn't come up before six twenty, she would be late and that would ruin her plans. Didn't he have to have a shower and get dressed or something?

Hitomi was unzipping her pants when Van poked his head into the bedroom. "Wow!" he exclaimed when he found her. "Do you normally wear pants like that when I'm not around?"

She looked at the black skintight affair she had worn to fool Allen and then she looked at Van. "I bought them," she explained. "But they're too tight, so I thought I'd take them back. Besides," she said indicating the bed and the rose petals. "You weren't supposed to see this until we got back from the stadium tonight," she lied.

Van smiled lustfully when he saw the bed. "You planned a party like this? And I ruined the surprise? Aw, that's a shame," he said mockingly as he advanced towards her.

"Why did you come up here, anyway?" she asked, continuing with the lie, and hoping that Belinda hadn't told him that she had asked him to come.

"I was going to ask you if you've seen Allen. I wanted to make sure he was getting ready to go, but I have a few minutes. Maybe you could explain the rest of this party you were planning on having when we got back tonight?"

Hitomi inwardly sighed with relief. That meant that Van hadn't heard Allen yelling in the pantry. Such a big house was certainly convenient at a time like this. The sound didn't travel well at all.

"Well," Hitomi said, skipping into the dressing room to get her two bags. "I got this," she said pulling the lingerie from the first bag. She had already removed the receipt from the bag. She couldn't let Van see that she had spent over a hundred and fifty dollars on one piece of lingerie. There was no way he'd be happy about that, even if it was pretty. She had nearly died of embarrassment purchasing it and her cheeks were on fire now. If it didn't work …

It was a white corset and panty set with decorative ribbons hanging everywhere and enough padding in the front to make her look like she actually had breasts.

Hitomi took the set from the bag and held it against her with her face flushed. "Do you think it'll look good on me?" she peered over the fabric at him with a gigantic lump in her throat.

Both his eyebrows were in the air and he was nodding slowly – totally speechless.

"Well, say something!" she demanded. She'd gone to a lot of work to get the outfit and a simple nodding wasn't going to cut it for her, whether she planned on locking him up or not.

"Why wait for tonight?" Van said. "The surprise is already ruined, and I'm sure Allen's not ready to leave yet. There's plenty of time for me to make love to you and I don't think I can wait to see what you look like in that." He put his arms around her bare shoulders and drew her close to him. He was reaching for her bra clasp and sending little electric shocks through her skin. Then he exhaled and blew warm air down her cold back.

Hitomi was hoping he'd say that. She would have died at her unattractiveness if he had not said that he couldn't wait now that he had seen the bed and the outfit. It was unfortunate though that Hitomi didn't believe that she would have got her way with him if he'd come in right before it was time to leave. She thought that there was no way he would have thrown away his chance to get Dilandau and Folken for one night of passion with a woman he could have whenever he wanted.

"Maybe I can't wait long enough for you to put it on," he said, heating her throat with his kiss. His voice was pitched so perfectly. It was making her forget her mission and making her want to respond to him and give him exactly what he wanted.

"There is one more thing," Hitomi said, grasping frantically for self control and reaching into the other bag – the one from the sex shop.

"What's that?" Van said, looking at her curiously.

Hitomi curled her fingers around the metal. They were the most expensive, durable ones that had been for sale and the cost of them hurt Hitomi's feelings more than the cost of the lingerie.

She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and showed them to Van.

He had been looking intense and serious, but he laughed when he saw them. "Are you sure this is really your style, Hitomi? I mean, you never requested something like this before. Are you sure you want to jump from not even dressing up to this?"

"Yes," Hitomi said emphatically.

"Did you talk to Naria more than I saw?" he asked cluelessly.

"No," Hitomi said, tilting her chin up defiantly. "I didn't get the idea from anyone. I just thought it would be fun to chain you do the bed and … you know."

"You want _me _to be the one handcuffed?" Van asked – completely shocked. "I thought for sure you'd want it the other way around."

"Give me a chance! Now get on the bed. I'll go get changed after you're all locked up," she said. She was trying to act casually, but now that she was actually reaching the point of no return, her stomach felt so heavy that she thought it would squish her intestines.

Van pulled his shirt off over his head and lay on his back while Hitomi straddled him in her skin-tight pants and secured the handcuffs. He was really obedient. He didn't suspect a thing.

Then Hitomi kissed him. She buried her fingers in his dark hair and kissed him so deeply that she thought she would cry. He was going to be so viciously angry with her for leaving him like his on such an important night, when he had such an important thing to do. He was going to be livid.

Hitomi smiled weakly as she moved away from him. At least he still had his pants on. Then he wouldn't be embarrassed when Belinda came in the room to unlock him at nine. It would be too late then for him to do anything. Hitomi will have already changed everything and it would take him an hour to get to the stadium from Dryden's mansion.

Hitomi got off him and grabbed the white corset set. She blew him a kiss from the door.

"Hitomi?" Van asked, stopping her. "What's wrong? You're way too emotional about going to the rally tonight. Maybe we should talk now and do the rest when we come back safely. You look way too distraught."

"I am upset," Hitomi conceded, from the door. "But, if I asked you to stay – to blow off your plan - would you?"

Van looked sad and shook his head. "I can't do that to Allen."

"Then we'd better continue," she said, shutting the door behind her. She dropped the corset on the floor and headed towards Van's closet. This was her plan. She locked Allen in the pantry and chained Van to the bed, so now she could do what she wanted.

Her plan was to go to the stadium herself, turn into Folken and talk to him – face to face about everything that had happened. She would convince him to give up being in the Zaibach group. She would convince him to make up with Van. Maybe she could even convince him to trade information about the Dragon Slayers and the syndicate in order to get immunity from the police. She honestly believed that Folken was a good man and once a little mercy was shown to him from the person he trusts best – himself – then he would become the person he was meant to be. He would again become the person Akira loved, the person Van loved, and everything would be cleared up. Hitomi believed this with all her heart. She believed it was worth taking a chance for.

She reached into Van's closet and pulled out a pair of his jeans and one of his shirts. She took off her own underwear and replaced it with a pair of his boxer-briefs. She left the bra off. It would be a nuisance when she transformed into Folken. After she was dressed, she got out a pair of Van's socks and put on a pair of his runners. They were way too big for her. Then she put on one of his ball caps and his yellow tinted sunglasses.

Then she took a deep breath and opened the door to the bedroom. Van was going to freaking spaz.

Van was staring at the ceiling, but moved when Hitomi opened the door. His mouth hung open and his eyes filled with hellfire.

"Hitomi, what are you doing?"

At first, Hitomi wouldn't answer him.

"You're not planning on going to the stadium without me, are you?" he exclaimed furiously.

"Yeah, I am. I already locked Allen up downstairs. I'm going to the stadium alone. I think you'd get hurt and I don't want that. I'm going to go talk to Folken and I'm going to straighten all this out."

"Straighten what out?" Van shouted angrily. "You've got to be kidding me! What can you work out with Folken? He's a monster and a murderer …"

He screeched a lot more things, but Hitomi wasn't listening to him and she had no plans to answer him. She was reaching for the clasp of her protection pendant. The last thing in the world she needed tonight was for it to warn her when she was in trouble by icing her flesh to death. She was going to be in danger all night, so there was no need for a special warning.

It came undone and she dropped it on the bed.

Van eyes were like tombstones as he saw the jewel fall into a pile of scattered scarlet rose petals.

"Listen to me, Van. I'm a goddess. I can simply do things that you can't. Dryden says I'll live forever," she said, carefully leaving out the part where Dryden also told her that she wasn't immortal until she stopped bleeding. That was one of the many things she had not yet explained to Van. "You can die," she continued, "and I can't bear the idea of living forever without you." She paused. "I'll leave instructions for Belinda to unlock you at nine, but by then it'll be too late to stop me. I love you Van – whatever you've said. You can say whatever you want to me when I come back and I'll listen to all of it without defending myself, but I have to try my best to work this out. I have to stop you and Folken from killing each other. That's all there is to it. I'll see you later."

"No! Hitomi! Don't do this! HITOMI!"

And with that Hitomi left the room, even though Van was screaming for her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: This was an extremely difficult chapter to write. I agonized over it for a really long time before I decided whether or not it was good enough to release. Kaytala (beta reader) and Nightfaux (creative consultant) helped me to improve it, so a special thanks to both of them. Seriously though, I nearly die reading it. So skanky, but it's the only thing that makes sense! ARGH!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS! I love you guys so much. It's like bouncing through a meadow full of clover and calling out a boy's name ... or something like that. Thanks guys! You rock. And I'm going to set up the forum right now. Cheers!


	14. The Dragon vs The Sorcerer

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne and nor do I own Endanger or 'Give me a Reason'. This is all just for fun!

** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Dragon vs. The Sorcerer**

_Featuring 'Give me a Reason' by Endanger_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

The drive to the stadium was really lonely for Hitomi. She turned on the radio, but she couldn't focus; it all just sounded like blaring noise to her. However, no matter how it rattled her nerves, she couldn't turn it off. If she turned it off, she would be alone with her own thoughts and feelings. She'd remember Van's voice screaming for her and then she might start to think that she'd made the wrong decision by choosing to do this.

She drove Van's black convertible to the stadium, because there was nothing else for her to take. Yeah, just like she'd taken his clothes, coat, hat, sunglasses – she'd even snatched his underwear. Normally, when she wore Van's clothing, she felt his love for her bubbling up through the fabric, but this time she felt like she'd really betrayed him, and so his clothes weren't performing their regular magic trick for her.

When Hitomi arrived at the stadium it was seven-forty-five, and there was a huge lineup to get in the front doors. She parked the car and locked the doors before she pulled her ball cap a little further down over her forehead. Then she got in line. There were bouncers at the doors. Hitomi was looking at them furiously hoping that neither of the guards were bouncers that had previously questioned her at The Voltage Room. She couldn't transform into Folken until she was able to look him in the eye. She didn't want to be mistaken for him and called off somewhere. That wouldn't work at all.

It was a cold night, and there were rare snowflakes falling from the sky like tiny white stars. Her breath was chilly and the members of the Dragon Slayers were standing too close to her. They probably thought that she was one of them.

When it was her turn to pass the guards, she slipped in without any trouble. She was so small compared to the noisy half-drunk teenage boys that she went in with. The corridor that led into the seating area was one she had seen before. She knew the doors to the left led to the hallway that she had personally destroyed. When she entered the main hall, she saw that there was balcony seating as well as the seats on the main level. The place was very full, but the seats closest to the floor were not taken. That seemed strange to Hitomi. Shouldn't they want to be as close to the action as possible? That was what she thought as she moved to get a seat close to the podium.

When Hitomi got closer, she saw that Dilandau wasn't the man MCing the night's festivities. Instead, it was Folken. A couple of guys were standing near him and wearing obvious guns, but other than that, Naria and Eriya were no where to be seen. For some reason, Hitomi thought that there was a chance that she might meet them here. Folken was sitting on a wooden crate on the stage. He looked exhausted. Even from that distance, Hitomi could see blue/black circles under his eyes and, it might have been her imagination, but his usually spiky hair looked like it almost drooped. His shoulders hung heavy as if he was very tired and his back was sloping. He took a flask from behind the crate and took a drink. What was wrong with him?

Then Hitomi saw band members carrying machinery up to the stage and setting up. It looked like there was going to be a concert that night.

The rest of the stadium was done up like they were planning on having motorcycle races. The piles of dirt were high. Hitomi looked at them and wondered if they would be hard to walk on when the time came for her to confront Folken … in front of all these people. She caught herself looking at his feet and wondering if his shoe size was the same as Van's. She hoped so, or else this might be uncomfortable, like it had been uncomfortable for her to drive and walk in Van's shoes. Big shoes to fill and Hitomi's little girl feet didn't have a chance.

The events weren't going to start until eight-thirty, so Hitomi had a chance to look around the room at the Dragon Slayers. Mostly, they just looked like kids from her high school who were clearly misguided. They drank too much, and smoked too much, and from the smell of them, got too excited when there was something more expensive to experiment with. They smelled ghastly.

Finally, the lights went out and Folken was standing in a spot light talking to the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming tonight, even though it's cold out," he started. Then he outlined the program. They'd start with motorcycles.

Now was Hitomi's chance to transform into Folken and confront him. The usually noisy Dragon Slayers were quiet while listening to Folken. He clearly had more of their respect than Dilandau.

She closed her eyes and focused on transforming into Folken. She thought about Folken's eyes; reddish brown. His hair – getting longer in the back. His age – thirty two. His tattoo – The Crow. His voice – majestic and gorgeous. His magic – trickery. His body was coming into focus for her. She could feel it, but she could also feel that something was terribly wrong. When she completed the transformation, she was coughing and even in the blackness of the stadium, she could taste the copper flavour of blood in her mouth. She didn't need to see the blood. Folken was hurt! His body was broken! His back felt like it had been torn through the shoulder blades. It felt like all the ribs in his body were broken and bruised. The man was a mess! Such pain! No wonder he slumped his shoulders and looked miserable and was drinking something mysterious. He was coping marvelously … but unfortunately, Hitomi was not. She was coughing uncontrollably and her eyes were blurring. She couldn't detach herself enough from the pain to decipher Folken's feelings. The only thing she could feel was the pain.

Hadn't they given him Van's blood to cure him? This pain she felt had to be leftover wounds from the time he had grown crow wings. If they had given him Van's blood, wouldn't that have cured him? Didn't Van tell her that Folken was all healed? Had Folken sprouted his wings again since the first time? Or did Van's blood not work? Why was he hurt?

By this point, only one thing was clear to Hitomi and that was that she could not face Folken bearing his pain. It was impossible. It was too much for her.

She crushed her eyelids together and tried to think of what she could do instead. She could approach him as Van. Van couldn't be broken. He was undefeatable, and if she spoke with Van's mouth and offered Folken forgiveness and a chance at redemption, she knew that would work. It had to work.

Not only that, but Van was in perfect health. He was always in perfect health.

She closed her eyes and became The Dragon. It came to her easily, almost like the Van inside of her was dying to have his chance. Once she gave her body the go, Van came alive in her and she stood up and yelled to Folken across the crowded room, "Brother!"

Folken's eyes narrowed as he looked towards Hitomi, then he indicated for another spot light to find Van in the midst of the Dragon Slayers.

"I've come to have it out with you!" Hitomi found herself yelling. She meant for it to sound differently – kindly, but instead it sounded like a challenge to do battle.

Folken clutched the microphone in his hand like he couldn't stand the sight of his younger brother. It was like he was looking Death in the eyes. He nodded with his weary, broken body and said strongly to the assembly, "Change of plans. We'll start with the concert and then do the motorcycle challenge afterwards. You're all in for a fantastic treat. Along with the concert, you'll also get to witness the all out battle of The Dragon and The Sorcerer. I hope you all came sober, because this isn't something you're going to want to miss. Come down, Van – let's fight!" Folken dropped the microphone and it made a horrible sound as it hit the stage floor. It was almost deafening to everyone in the stadium.

Hitomi covered Van's ears. She was about to yell something back to Folken about how they weren't going to fight each other, they were just going to talk, when suddenly, the Dragon Slayers around her all gathered together and pounced on her.

They grabbed Van's body and lifted him up all together above their shoulders. There were not enough people in the front rows to body surf, but the people who picked her up carried her to the edge of the stadium walls and threw her over in one swift motion into the dirt.

Hitomi had screamed and had got a mouthful of dirt – very humiliating.

Folken ordered half of the lights on – the ones for the motorcycle tournament, so that the arena was lit while the bleachers were drenched in darkness.

Hitomi got up and spat the dirt out of her mouth as she imagined Van would have done, but she knew that he wouldn't have landed on his face in the first place. He would have landed on his feet. She needed to take advantage of his differences from herself. She needed to take advantage of his speed and strength and his way of speaking that made everyone bow to his logic. Even Folken couldn't help but bow to Van's logic when properly applied … right?

Folken was getting ready to fight her. One of his men was strapping a microphone to the back of his pants and running a wire up to his ear. The microphone and earpiece were taped to his cheek. Apparently, he didn't want to risk it coming off. He was also drinking whatever was left in his flask and asking one of his minions to fill it up again.

Looking at him through Van's eyes, Hitomi could feel Van's hate for Folken rising up in her. He wanted to spill his blood. He wanted to break his bones. He wanted to tear him limb from limb so that there was nothing left for even the birds to eat. Hitomi had never felt such hate, but she had to control the Van inside her if she was going to settle everything the way she dreamed. She breathed deeply to try to relax him, but instead it felt like it only prepared him for what he wanted to do.

Finally, Folken stepped onto the dirt. He was taping his wrists like a boxer and stretching his arms and back. Hitomi knew how much that probably hurt him and watching him made her wince.

"I didn't come here to fight with you," Hitomi forced herself to say as she approached him. "I came here to talk to you." She tried to say it nicely, but again, Van's will was too strong in her and it came out all wrong.

Folken looked at Van and then gave the signal for the band to start. "Van, you don't have to pretend that you're here for something other than an all-out fight. I know you've wanted at my throat for a long time, but if you hesitate because of pleasantries, you'll lose to me."

Then without any further warning, Folken started singing, and the band started playing.

_Oh crap!_ If he sang, Hitomi didn't know what sort of magic he would be able to call up. Not even Dryden knew what he was capable of.

_Give me a reason  
Give me the power to survive  
Make me believing  
Everything will be all right_

Folken suddenly jabbed at her, and if it weren't for Van's reflexes she would have gotten it in the face.

Hitomi pulled off her sunglasses and ball cap and threw them aside. "No, Folken, you're not listening to me. I really didn't come here to fight. I want to talk to you about what happened with Mom and Dad. We don't have to be enemies!" Hitomi panted, jumping out of the way of another of Folken's swings. "Look, I know you're hurt," Hitomi continued. "You shouldn't fight if you're hurt. Have a little consideration for you body! You're a mess!"

Folken looked at her funny, but continued singing to the ecstasy of all the little Dragon Slayers listening. They were all Folken fans through to the bone. They loved his voice and loved to hear him sing anything. They were screaming at the pleasure of watching him fight and sing at the same time. For them, it was like the ultimate form of entertainment.

_Turn out the light  
Don't see me worry  
I never wanted to decide_

With Folken's words, the lights in the stadium flicked out to perfect darkness. Did the lights really turn out or was this darkness one of the things Folken could do with his element? It somehow seemed different, because not only did the lights turn out, but the Dragon Slayers were silent, also. He couldn't have ordered them to be quiet; they were losing their minds for him. He was their hero.

Then Folken's singing voice came perfectly through the pitch. His steps were soft on the dirt as he walked evenly towards Hitomi. He sang:

_  
But we both know this endless story  
We've seen it all the black and white  
_

Hitomi couldn't see him, but Van seemed to be able to feel his movements. When the verse was over, Folken kicked the dirt between them so that it flew up into Van's eyes. Even with Van's reflexes, she hadn't expected it and didn't protect herself at all.

Then she got one fist in the face. His lip split against his teeth and she tasted Van's blood instead of Folken's. The impact knocked her brain against the walls of her skull and the Van in her retaliated. He snapped his fingers before Hitomi could think and called up a globe of fire by which to see and to attack. Van's fingers sent it flying in Folken's direction – like he was the center of a target used for practice, but Hitomi interceded at the last moment and forced him to miss Folken by a hair.

"Folken! It doesn't have to be like this!" Hitomi persisted. Then she used Van's left hand and called up a flame like a torch. She wanted to be able to see Folken's face. "We don't have to be enemies. You don't have to be part of the Zaibach group. I know it's impossible for us to go home together all happy like nothing has happened, but I know there's a chance for things to be different. You could quit being a mafia bastard and I could stop trying to kill you. There has to be a way for us to be friends again."

The darkness was thick, almost like black fog. It surrounded Folken's face, and the yellow flame flickered in his eyes and made them appear gold. The look she got from Folken was one of utter bewilderment. The expression on his face was a perfect, "What the fuck?" Then he attacked again. "You're talking nonsense!" he muttered between set teeth, but he couldn't say much because his next lines in the song were coming up.

_  
Tell me what is to come that I should be waiting  
Yes, what is to come that I should stay  
Now is the time I am awakened  
Now is the time I'm letting go  
_

Hitomi listened to his words, trying to understand what spell he was weaving, but it wasn't coming to her easily. Hitomi was trying to do too much in this fight, and she couldn't keep everything together. It was becoming too much. She had to remember her goal. She had to convince Folken that there was a chance for him and Van to be reconciled, if not best friends, or loving brothers. She had to avoid his punches. She had to stop Van from fighting back. She had to figure out what magical advantage Folken was getting out of the song he was singing.

Fine, that came first. What the hell was he getting out of the song?

Folken put his hands forward and heightened the darkness, extinguishing her flame. In the darkness he sang again and this time Hitomi could hear the crowd and see the tinges of the lights above. The sound of the crowd was soft, almost like their screaming was very far away.

Hitomi started running. It was a pity that Van hadn't learned how to use light. If he had, then this darkness would be nothing. She would send it scattering, but instead, she had only Van's fire to turn it aside, and frankly – it was not enough – without going too far. Her only consolation was that Folken's other element, air, could not be used without summoning his wings.

_Give me a reason  
Give me the power to survive  
Make me believing  
Everything will be all right_

_Just give me a reason_

_I try to hold my head up high  
Although I'm feeling  
This story will never turn out fine_

Hitomi opened her eyes and tried to find Folken in the dark fog. She understood now. The song was giving him the power to fight Van. Hitomi didn't need to change into Folken to learn that he was terrified of Van's power, and that this was the only way he knew how to keep his fear in check. Could this have been the reason why he wanted Van locked up?

In this moment of understanding, Folken took complete advantage of Hitomi's hesitation. He appeared out of what seemed like the middle of nowhere and kicked her in the stomach. Hitomi doubled over, but the Van in her – his pride was too much to allow himself to be defeated so easily, so he made her stand. But, no matter how strong his will, he couldn't force her to stop cradling his stomach with his arms.

"Folken, you're my brother," she started to say. "I know there's something good in you."

_  
Turn out the light  
Don't see me worry  
I never wanted to decide  
But we both know this endless story  
We've seen it all the black and white  
_

"I know there's some good left in you!" Hitomi hollered. She tried to snap Van's fingers to call up another flame, but his fingers were too sweaty. "You are 'The Crow', you are supposed to understand the balance of life. That is supposed to mean that you can't be a hundred percent evil. You've been misguided and racked with guilt for so long that you think you don't deserve to have that kind of life, but you can't go on this way. You'll die!" Hitomi yelled again, Van's voice sounding strong and confident as Hitomi snapped his fingers wildly trying to call up more fire.

A second ticked on the clock. Why wasn't Folken attacking?

Hitomi's own anger was raging now, and she snapped Van's fingers hard enough to call up a fireball between his hands. It was bright enough now that she could see Folken. He was standing by the stage, taking another drink from his canteen.

"I couldn't hear you, Van," Folken said gloatingly. "You'll have to try again if you want to reach me."

He was laughing. The bastard was laughing and Van inside her was biting his bleeding lip and steaming with rage.

"Then, come on!" Hitomi yelled, getting caught up by Van's overwhelming feelings.

Folken waved his hand at her and the most impossible thing happened, a gust of wind rolled along the dirt piles across the space between them and blew Hitomi's fireball out of her hands and onto the ground. Hitomi wasn't sure what was burning, but the light from the fire lit the room enough for her to see Folken.

He was cracking his knuckles and coming towards her.

_  
If there's something to say  
Don't keep me waiting  
If there's something to say  
Please let me know  
Now is the time I am awakened  
Now is the time I'm letting go  
_

"You'll have to tell me something real in order to get my attention," he said harshly.

Hitomi wanted to repeat what Folken said he hadn't heard, but she wasn't sure that he hadn't heard it. Was that just a way for him to make fun of Van or had he honestly not been listening to her? The fog was deep and sound wasn't travelling well. Hitomi was wracking her brain thinking of what only Van would know to be a true reason why things should change. She was searching for something she had not already said. Van's logic … that was what she was searching for, but it wasn't coming. The Van inside her was too angry for him to give counsel. She wasn't Van and Van wasn't going to forgive Folken.

Then Folken's voice came again. This time it was stronger. He seemed to be gaining energy and accumulating power. The song was giving him the strength to do things that would normally be impossible for him. He was wounded and weakened, but the words and magic of the song gave him the ability to run, to punch, to kick and to not be hindered by the pain in his back or in his heart. The song was giving him the ability to call up wind – the element that Van wouldn't let her summon when she transformed into him just in case it made wings come out.

_  
Give me a reason  
Give me the power to survive  
Make me believing  
Everything will be all right  
Just give me a reason   
I try to hold my head up high  
Although I'm feeling  
This story will never turn out fine_

Hitomi was trying to find the answer he was looking for … something real she could say to him that would stop their fight, but instead the song suddenly ended and the only sounds in the stadium were those of the chanting Dragon Slayers.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

Had the Dragon Slayer spectators been watching the whole thing? Hadn't they seen the fog? Wasn't the stage just a blurry black ball for them as it had been for her?

Hitomi was still thinking when Folken went in for the kill. He kneed her in the stomach, and as she was bent over him, he elbowed her in the back. She fell to the ground and he kicked her twice more in the ribs.

The pain!

The tears were coming and the world was blacking out, and just as she covered Van's body with her hands to protect herself from another kick Folken stopped. He was standing over her staring.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, pulling his earpiece clean off his face. "Hitomi!"

She moaned in pain. Her cover was blown. She hadn't been able to maintain Van's appearance after those excruciating kicks. Folken saw her!

Folken dropped to his knees in the dirt beside her. "Hitomi, what the hell are you doing here? What did you think you could accomplish? Bloody Hell! What would Akira say if she saw what I did to you? Get up!"

Hitomi tried, but the pain in her body was a little much for her.

Folken called one of his men over, "Dallet. Pick up this girl and take her to my upstairs office. I need to talk to her. Don't lay one unnecessary finger on her or that'll be the end of you. You're lucky I'm letting you touch her."

"Is she like Naria and Eriya?" the boy called Dallet asked. "Is that why she's special?"

"You just saw the trick she pulled, didn't you? It wasn't me that made Van appear in the stadium. Now get moving!" Folken ordered. Hitomi saw him walk in long heavy strides, like he was totally revitalized by their fight and take the stage again. He picked up his fallen microphone and started explaining to the crowd that it was a mistake.

Hitomi felt Dallet's arms around her. He was clumsy. Hopefully, he wouldn't drop her on the way to the office. She still believed that Folken was not a terrible man, even though he had just beaten the crap out of her. He looked genuinely sorry when he saw the real her. She believed that now that he knew she was there, she would be safe and they would still be able to work things out rationally. Maybe she should have been direct, like he had told her it was okay for her to be before. Maybe she should have just shown up at The Voltage Room by herself one night and asked to speak with him … but then he'd removed her name from his guest list. The bouncers probably wouldn't let her in.

Folken sure was a confusing guy, or maybe her brain was still a little rattled.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Hiya! I know I said that I'd update tomorrow, but Kaytala finished today (bless her) and I probably won't be able to update until tomorrow night (really late), and since I left you guys with such a cliffy last time, I felt like I ought to get on it and update soon with this chapter if I could. I would really like to thank everyone who reviews. It really makes a big difference to me and makes me extremely happy. I'm also going to set up the forum this instant, so please come to that too! Thank you very much for following my story!


	15. Barrel of a Gun

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I'm just here for fun! The title of this chapter is either from Shakespear or Depeche Mode - take your pick. They're both good!**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Barrel of a Gun**

Dallet brought Hitomi into a room that overlooked the arena. It was an office with a magnificent cherry wood desk; several arm chairs and a sprawling sofa at the end of the room. Dallet carried her to the couch and laid her down on it like he was very nervous about handling her.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked her uneasily. "There's Sprite, mineral water, Diet Coke …"

It sounded like he was seriously going to list every beverage known to man when Hitomi interrupted him to say that she would have water.

Dallet got a bottle for her quickly. Then he asked her if there was anything else she needed. Her lip was split and he asked her if she wanted some ice or a pain killer. Hitomi felt extremely bruised through her torso, so much so that she had tears running down her face as well as an extremely plump lip. Hitomi hadn't been in many fights, and she thought that the pain would soon go away like when she had fought with Marlene as a child, so she told Dallet that she didn't need anything.

With her permission, he quickly left the room – at the exact moment that Folken chose to enter it.

He didn't speak to Dallet, but closed the door behind the boy and locked it.

At first, he didn't speak to Hitomi either, but drew up a chair. Then he took the unopened water bottle from Hitomi's hand and opened it for her. "Can you sit up to drink it, or do you need my help?" was all he said at first.

Hitomi tried to sit up, but the pain in her chest and stomach was too much for her, so Folken held her head while she tipped the bottle up. The water tasted refreshing to Hitomi. She hadn't realized that she was parched.

When she'd drunk enough, Folken took the bottle from her and screwed the cap back on. He set the bottle on the floor and looked at her seriously. "Would you mind telling me what you're doing here?" he asked mildly.

Was this really the same person she'd fought in the arena not fifteen minutes before? He seemed very different to her, almost gentle.

"You and Van shouldn't fight," she said, still a little befuddled. That blow to her head had sort of messed her up.

Folken looked at her like he couldn't believe she was so naive. "It's hard to believe that you're serious. There's no reason for you to try to stand up for me. I can't think of a good reason why you'd try to arbitrate peace between the two of us."

"Akira loved you," Hitomi said quickly.

"No," Folken said darkly and deliberately. "I loved _her_. She did not love me back."

"Have you read her logbook? I know she loved you!" Hitomi cried.

Folken shook his head. "No, if that's what you saw in her words than you didn't read it properly. She chose Dominic. You know, it doesn't matter that she cared for me a little bit. That doesn't comfort me at all. I loved her without reservation and she chose to waste herself on a dead man. It was very selfish of me to try to get her to love me at all since she was his to begin with, but I loved her and I wanted her to be 'the one woman' in my life. I should have left her alone like Dornkirk told me to."

"The Devil told you to stay away from her?" Hitomi asked gravely.

"Don't call him that!" Folken flared hatefully. "You don't know anything about him!"

Hitomi clutched her hands together. When Folken looked like that he was really scary, much scarier than Van even in his worst moment.

But when Folken saw Hitomi's expression, he softened. "But I guess you weren't taught any better, so you can't help it. So, tell me Hitomi," Folken said, taking a deep breath. "Your only reason for coming here tonight was because Akira loved me?"

"Van is out to kill you," Hitomi admitted quietly. At least she could warn him of Van's plans. That might be enough to save him.

"I know," Folken said seriously. "Van has sworn to kill me hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It's okay. It's not something you have to worry about."

"No, I can't let him kill you! When I first moved in with Van last spring, he told me that he had never killed anyone and now he seriously seems like he means to go through with it. My reasons for doing this are not just for you, because Akira loved you, but also because of him. If he becomes a murderer, all that is good about him will disappear, I know it. Please, you have to make up with Van somehow. You have to tell him about what really happened with your parents so that he's no longer angry with you."

Folken hadn't been looking at her during this speech. Instead he had been cupping his mouth in his hand and looking towards the arena windows. "Is that what you think, Hitomi?" he asked, not turning his head and speaking through his fingers. "Is that what you think? That Van doesn't know the whole story about what happened that day?"

Hitomi stared at him, looking for some clue as to where he was going with his speech.  
Folken didn't move his head, but moved his eyes only and examined Hitomi's expression. "I see," he said, moving his hand. "Van has not told you what happened that day. I'm surprised. I thought he would have confided in you."

A series of sick lumps were forming all over Hitomi's body when Folken said these words. There was one in her stomach, another in her throat, in her head, and a giant one in her heart. What was Folken going to say to her?

"Well, it seems that Van cannot even tell his new bride of the events of that day. His hate runs as deep as bone marrow, but I thought that he would have told you the truth about me, which explained perfectly why you wouldn't choose me when I asked you to be my girlfriend. I thought that was the reason you rejected me. So, there was another reason?"

"Van and I were already married," she admitted hoarsely.

Folken nodded his head. "I see. That makes perfect sense. He didn't waste any time, did he? Oh well, it's none of my business ... anymore. You weren't right for me anyway," here Folken paused carefully and when he continued, his whole countenance changed from that of a person who was in complete control of himself to a person who was wrecked from head to foot. He changed into a person that could not be healed. "Hitomi," he said sadly. "You have to give up trying to repair things between Van and me. It won't work. There is no way to mend us."

"There has to be a way," Hitomi persisted.

"You don't understand," Folken said patiently. "Van's anger is righteous. You said before that once he learned the truth about our parents' death, he wouldn't be angry with me. You clearly don't understand. Van knows everything about what happened. It couldn't be concealed. It was in every paper and on every news station across the country. It was such big news that the simplest facts about the situation could not even be kept from a five year-old boy. He knows what happened and he's right to want to kill me for what I did. You see, Hitomi, I deserve to die for what I did. I could have evaded Van tonight (even though it was you pretending to be him) if I wanted to, but I don't wish to avoid death for my sins anymore. I've hidden for so long – I've tried to squelch the truth about myself. I mean, I am a man who murdered my own parents in cold blood. Hitomi, do you understand what that means? I'm not a person who deserves Van's forgiveness and I don't wish to hide from the punishment I deserve anymore."

Hitomi's bottom lip was trembling. The lumps in her body were only growing. "I don't believe you!" she cried passionately. So passionately in fact that it stretched her sore ribs and made her cough. Even though Folken was saying all this, there was still something in his eyes, something in his countenance that made it impossible for her to believe what he said. He had to be using it as an excuse to get her to stay out of the way.

Folken sat beside her on the couch and patted her back softly until she stopped coughing. Then he moved back to the chair and said to her. "Since Van will not tell you what happened, I will. If you hear what really happened, you'll understand why I don't want to hide from Van, even though I don't really want to die."  
Hitomi tried to quiet her thundering heart, but she couldn't. She had never heard a person who had done something like what Folken said he had speaking about it candidly. She was afraid to hear the details, and afraid that he would fool her with a lie.

"When I was a child," Folken began. "My father and mother were very strict. Van was born when I was ten and my parents were both nutty about him. I wasn't jealous or anything like that. I loved him as much as they did, but they sort of stopped paying such close attention to me, because a new baby takes a lot of work. I quit the clubs they forced me to join without their permission as soon as their backs were turned and started hanging around after school instead of going to my lessons or going home. I made new friends, not good friends and it wasn't long before all my friends were bad boys. I couldn't help wanting to be friends with them – they liked me so much more than the kids I used to compete with in clubs. With them, I could be myself. You might think that I succumbed to peer pressure or something like that, but it was nothing of the sort. With these new friends, I could be myself and believe it or not, but I was not a nice kid. At home, I was forced to do what my parents wanted, but when I was at school or with my friends I really got a kick out of being the biggest dog in the pack. I knew about my uncle's special power - that he was a Tarot user, and I wanted to be like him instead of like my father so I gloried in getting my friends to do whatever I wanted them to do. It wasn't until I was thirteen that I first met a few of the Zaibach group's lower class drug dealers. They wanted me and all my friends to buy our drugs from them, but when I watched them, I saw that they were idiots. Not only that, but I soon found out that they were trying to sell to us for way more than the stuff was worth. They had been using too much of it themselves. I was pretty entrepreneurial even at the tender age of thirteen, so I followed them one day as they were going to see their lord."

"You did?" Hitomi couldn't believe that Folken was that daring and only thirteen years old. Talk about guts!

Folken smiled wearily before he went on. "Yeah, I did. I didn't like that they were jacking up the price because of their own weaknesses and I decided that I would try to convince their boss to let me deal for him instead of those two punks. So, I followed them and met their boss. He was a really interesting guy in his thirties. I think you've probably heard of him. His name was Leon Schezar."

Hitomi gasped.

"Yeah, he's Allen and Celena's father. Wow! You didn't know that he was in the Zaibach group. Van and Allen really don't tell you anything."

Hitomi frowned. She was totally speechless. She couldn't believe that they hadn't told her that. Why did Van and Allen not tell her these things? It was totally insulting and horrible to be left in the dark like this. Why didn't Van tell her if he was going to trust her?

"They didn't tell you, did they?" Folken persisted.

"No," Hitomi admitted miserably.

Folken nodded. "Sorry, I shouldn't get such a thrill out of Van and Allen's impurity, but it always makes me feel better when I hear something that reminds me that they aren't perfect."

"Keep going," Hitomi prompted. She didn't want to talk about Van's faults with Folken. It was too embarrassing for her. Her face was already hot from her injury. Folken didn't need to make it worse.

"Anyway, those two loser drug dealers I mentioned before went to go meet Leon in an abandoned warehouse and I watched their conversation. Leon was not pleased with their performance and wouldn't give them anything else until they brought him a certain amount of cash that they owed him. He didn't beat them up, but he warned them that they were getting in over their heads and if they didn't make good soon, there would be problems. I hid behind a crate until they were finished and when they had left and Leon was alone, I approached him. As I said, Leon was a really interesting guy, and when I told him that I wanted to work for him and that I'd be sure to bring in more money than those losers because I wasn't a drug addict. I was interested in power and money. I guess I convinced him that I was a good investment because he gave me some 'stuff' to try to sell."

Hitomi noticed that Folken didn't specify what kind of drugs he was given, but he looked embarrassed, so she didn't press him for the details. She guessed it was probably pot or meth. Junior high school kids probably didn't have the money for crack.

"I turned out to be really good at it and I made a lot of money really fast. Leon was really impressed with me. This went on for awhile before things got heated, but to make a long story short, I'll be brief. A lot of things happened. First, I got really good at dealing drugs, then I got a lot of money, then I got used to doing everything and getting everything that I wanted, and then I got fed up with my father. I was fifteen, and I was kicking cans around that same abandoned warehouse complaining to Leon at the top of my lungs about how hard my father was on me. My father had no idea I was into dealing, but he had caught me lying a couple times and was enforcing tighter rules at home. I couldn't stand his rules. Leon just stood and laughed at me. He told me he had a son named Allen was who six, but he hadn't had any trouble with him yet. He hoped that his son would turn out like me. It was around that moment that I started to think of Leon as my father instead of Goau. I called my father Goau after that." Folken paused here and got up. He began pacing and Hitomi couldn't help but notice how much his movements were like Van's. It made her want to sympathize with him. "Sorry to do this to you, Hitomi. It's just that I feel like if I don't tell you everything about me, then I'll never find any peace. You're The Goddess of the Moon, right? You understand, don't you?"

Hitomi nodded her head, but wasn't totally clear why her being The Goddess of the Moon should have anything to do with their conversation. Wasn't her being his sister-in-law enough?

"So you don't mind if I keep going?" he asked, pausing in his circuit.

"It's okay," Hitomi told him.

"When I brought my product into my parents' house I was always really careful where I kept it. I never carried much because I liked to make kids wait and I liked to go visit Leon often, so I kept my small supply in a large hollowed out diary that my father had given me for Christmas when I was younger. It had a lock on it, so I always thought that it was a secure item. I thought it was the only safe place for me to keep anything in the house. Goau told me it was a place to keep my secrets, dreams and ambitions. I never wrote a word in it, but I had glued the pages together and cut the inside out when I was thirteen. I thought that my father would respect my privacy there, at the very least. I was wrong. You know, I didn't know that that kind of diary came with two keys, because my father only gave me one when he gave me the book."

Hitomi cringed. Even though Folken was doing something bad like drug dealing, she couldn't help but see his perspective a little bit during his speech and she couldn't help but feel the sting of betrayal that he probably felt when he realized that his father was spying on him. "He read your diary?" she asked, wincing.

"Yeah, he did, while I was in the shower. I never kept anything in the book when I wasn't home, so it wouldn't have mattered how many times he checked up on me before – he wouldn't have found anything. When he opened the book the old man was so enraged that he couldn't even wait for me to get out of the bathroom, but instead burst in and pulled me out of the shower stall without even waiting for me to put a towel around myself."

As Folken spoke, Hitomi could tell how deeply this action of his father's hurt him. He didn't need to say that it was humiliating and horrible for him. It was written all over his face.

Folken continued, "The old man dragged me into the living room stark naked and was insistent on having it out with me right then and there. My mother went and got me a towel. I was soaking wet on my back on the living room rug while my father yelled at me. Can you imagine how that must have felt? First, Goau wanted to know if I did drugs, but my mother swore up and down that I couldn't be doing drugs. This had to be the first time because I always had plenty of money. I never came to them asking for money. It probably would have been better for me if I'd been able to convince Goau that I was merely interested in smoking a little weed on the side. I could have said that I was taking it to a party and I probably would have got in less trouble. As it was, because of my mother's instant and incredible reasoning, it clicked in Goau's head that there was no way I was doing drugs. I had to be dealing them, which was a whole different animal in his mind and his rage would not be subsided. Within twenty minutes, I was on the front porch wearing nothing but the towel my mother had grabbed for me and picking up the clothes from my drawers my father had emptied on the lawn. My mother handed me a bag through the basement window as I picked up my clothes. She told me to call home during work hours in a couple days. My father would be gone from home then and she'd be the only one home to answer the phone. She'd work things out between the two of us if I'd be patient. You see Hitomi, this is the most painful part of the story for me," Folken said, throwing himself back into the chair he had originally sat in. "You see, my mother didn't care if I was a drug dealer or the devil or anything. She loved me no matter what I was, but she was helpless to run out and help me at that very moment. She was going to act rationally and get my father to calm down. She was a wise woman and there's no way she deserved to die …" Folken paused. It was a moment before he could go on. Finally, he picked up where he left off, "Anyway, she knew that Goau needed a chance to cool off. So I left."

"And you went directly to Leon, didn't you?" Hitomi asked softly, thinking of how much Folken's family life resembled her own. She had to leave home as well.

"Yeah," Folken said, looking still more depressed. This was not an easy story for him to tell. "So, I went to Leon. Oddly enough, he was overjoyed that things had bubbled over with my parents. He saw it as an opportunity for me to learn more about the syndicate and possibly a chance for me to upgrade my status. You see, Leon only did the drug lord thing on the side. He did a lot of other things too. In short, he was the money man for the Zaibach group. We weren't very big back then and it wasn't so hard for just one man to do all the work. He had his fingers in all sorts of pots, and he thought that I had a lot of potential so he took me to stay at the main house. This was Dornkirk's mansion. I was very surprised when I met Dornkirk. He didn't look anything like the mobsters I had seen in movies. He was a thin pale man with white hair. He was also Russian. I was expecting someone Italian or Japanese. But, when I spoke with him I could tell that it didn't matter. He had all the important points of a good mob boss. He knew what he was doing, he wasn't a coward, he had goals, and – most importantly - he was also a Tarot user. He said that he'd done some research on me and discovered that I was an heir. He really wanted me in a position of power in his syndicate, and I really wanted to do it."

Hitomi felt sicker still as she listened to the excitement in Folken's voice as he relived his feelings from that day. He was being accepted by someone he admired, and it made him feel valuable. She felt sick that there had been no one purer around to save him – like Balgus.

"So, I quit going to school and started learning things his way. They taught me how to fight and how to work the books. I really liked learning too. It was more interesting than school had ever been and it was full of practical application, unlike school."

"Did you ever phone your mother?" Hitomi asked quietly.

"Yes, I phoned her. It turned out to be a mistake," Folken said coldly. "Sorry, Hitomi, I was getting off course telling you about how much I liked being invited into the Zaibach group. I meant to keep this story about my parents. Because of the phone call I made to my mother, they learned where I was staying. My parents decided to come to the mansion to get me back. They wouldn't forsake their son, even after all I had done." Folken took a deep breath. "Before they came Leon gave me a gun and a clip. He told me that the gun wasn't loaded and that he would show me how to load it later if he had time." Folken shook his head wearily. "So, when my parents came the maid showed them into the sitting room. Then she told me they were there and I told her that I wouldn't see my parents. I told her to tell them that they were done raising me and that I was on my own now. I asked her to tell them to leave. A few minutes later, my father broke into my bedroom and told me that my answer was unacceptable. I had to go home with them. You should have seen the look on his face, Hitomi. Nothing could have been colder. He didn't care about me, and he wasn't sorry that he had pulled me out of the shower. He just looked angry and fed up. My mother looked milder, but she always had a weaker will than him. She couldn't stand up to him. She could only soothe him, but she couldn't do it this time … not this time. He was grabbing my arm and forcing me out of the room. I couldn't stand it. I really couldn't stand it. I was so pissed off with him. I hated him and I couldn't stand what he was doing to me. I felt like if I didn't stand up to him here, than there was no way I'd fulfill my ambitions in the Zaibach group and that life with Goau would be unbearable. I had the gun Leon had given me in the back of my pants."

Hitomi clenched her teeth together and dug her nails into her palms.

"I ripped it out and put it to his forehead and told him to back the hell off. His face went white and he took his hands off me. I shouted at him. I yelled so hard at him there were tears running down my cheeks … how I hate myself, Hitomi," Folken said wearily. His eyes were bloodshot as he spoke of that day. "I told him that I was never coming back and he might as well get used to it. I told him he was a shitty father and that I didn't love him. I told him I never wanted to see him again. I said a lot of things. I was young and vicious beyond his wildest dreams. He thought he's raised a strong and brave young man who would eventually turn out right if he was disciplined hard enough. I was crueler and meaner than he could have possibly imagined. This goes far beyond the neglect I got when Van was born. It also has to do with over parenting before Van was born, and the combination of those two things as well as my own rebellious, self-indulgent nature. I like to think that Goau never let me have my way when I was under his care, so that I got drunk on the power of personal decision once his back was turned. It didn't matter whether the choices were good or bad, at least they were mine. My will is strong. I have to have things my way, and never in my whole life was this demonstrated as perfectly as this moment when I voiced every complaint of my entire life and held a gun to my father's head."

Hitomi was crying now. She couldn't help it, and Folken had stopped looking at her. He had walked away from her and was standing with his arm on the windowsill of the office. He was looking at the arena. It sounded like the motorcycle competition had begun, but Hitomi heard nothing but Folken's voice.

"So, he took my mother by the arm and led her out of the room. She was crying. I was still so angry that I couldn't sit still. I freaked out and tore through my room wrecking at least half of what was there before my parents even made it to the front door. Then, I left and went out to watch them leave from the second floor balcony. I wanted to make sure that they really left. I was standing there and I had the gun in my hand. I was pointing it at my father's back. 'Why don't you pull the trigger?' Dornkirk asked from behind me. He came up and stood beside me. 'If you really hate your father, you would be able to do it," he said beguilingly. I knew the gun wasn't loaded, so I didn't think there was any harm in doing what the old man said. I told him I'd do more than pull the trigger for my father, but that I could easily kill my mother too. He smiled at me. Such a smile and for a smile like that, I did it! I pulled the trigger and shot a bullet into my father's back and then my mother's. I did it so fast that I didn't realize that the gun was loaded. I didn't even feel the kick on the shots. I stood there on the balcony and saw their bodies lying flat on the driveway. I can't even describe the horror of that moment. It is impossible. I dropped the gun in my hand and nearly threw myself off the balcony in order to get to them to see if they were still breathing. It had to be a joke …" Folken stopped talking. He was crying too hard.

Hitomi got to her feet, even though she was so sore, and rushed as quickly as she could. She pulled Folken into her arms and he grasped onto her like she was a life preserver. She had never seen a grown man weep before in her entire life and seeing it now was the most disturbing sight she had ever encountered. He put his high head on her shoulder and moaned miserably.

"I thought the gun was empty," he cried.

"It's okay, Folken," she whispered. Hitomi didn't know what else to say. The pain he was discussing was a pain that ran deeper than anything Hitomi had seen in her life. Van had not clung to her like this when he spoke of Folken's betrayal. He had not cried. He had not murdered anyone. Her determination to stop Van from going after Folken was cementing itself even harder into her soul. She couldn't let Van become a man who felt the inner torment of a person who had done such serious evil as this. She must do everything in her power to stop it from happening. "It's okay," she said to Folken again. "I know you didn't mean for it to happen. It was an accident."

Folken's head jolted up. "Was it, Hitomi? Was it?" His eyes were wild and red as berries as he posed the question to her. "It doesn't matter how much I think of it, I don't know what to think. I don't know who was to blame. Was it Leon? Did he know the gun was loaded and purposefully tell me that it wasn't? Did Dornkirk order him to do it? Was it merely an accident? Was it fate? Who can tell? Who can know?" he asked, moving away from her and heading towards the liquor cabinet. He opened the doors forcefully and pulling out a glass, he poured himself something to drink. He took a deep swallow. "You see, Dornkirk murdered his whole family … not his real family but the people who cared for him or tortured him – depending on your point of view. If I hadn't done it, I never would have been fit to be his successor. Doing something like this; it shows that you're totally cold, that you're totally willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and to break the neck of anyone who crosses you."

"Have you asked Dornkirk if he was the one behind it?" Hitomi asked, trying to think straight.

"What are you talking about, Hitomi?" Folken asked, looking like he couldn't believe what she was saying. "Dornkirk _asked_ me to pull the trigger. Aren't you forgetting that? He _asked _me to … and he stopped me from jumping off the balcony. He wasn't in a wheelchair then and he kept me safe, because he wanted me to be the successor for the Zaibach group," Folken sounded exasperated. "You are so young Hitomi. So innocent … it's painful to tell you these things. You don't understand them at all, do you?"

She frowned. It was true that Hitomi hadn't had much of a chance to grow up since all this happened and her appearance always made people underestimate her. The next thing she said had to prove to Folken that she was a right thinking adult. "You feel responsible for the death of your parents?"

"Yes," Folken said biting his teeth together and slamming his empty glass on the top of a tiny glass table. "I didn't check the gun. I was immature and furious. I wanted to impress Dornkirk with the coldness of my heart and deep under all of what I've said the truth is that I was bratty kid who didn't know anything who actually did want to kill his father." Folken sighed. "I didn't even think that I was making Van an orphan. I didn't even think of that as a consequence when I stood on the balcony, fantasizing about how great life would be if my father was dead."

"Stop! Please stop!" Hitomi begged. She couldn't stand to hear anymore. It was too hard to bear. "Please stop!"

Folken seemed to regain his composure, and he poured himself another drink.

Hitomi sat back on the couch and drew her knees up to her stomach. She never would have imagined it this way. She had never thought about crime and punishment in this way before. When they talked about punishment for broken laws in school, it had always seemed so simple to her. If someone killed someone else in cold blood as Folken said he had killed his parents, then didn't they deserve to die? Hitomi didn't know. Folken was a real person and even though she didn't like him much as a guidance counselor, she adored him as a pop star, she felt sick when she thought of him tainting his hands in human misery as a mobster and a drug lord. And lastly, sometimes when he moved or when he spoke he seemed so much like Van that there was no way she could not feel a familiarity, a connection with him strong enough to make her feel like somehow he was worth saving.

Finally, Folken was sitting back down in the chair across from Hitomi. "Van knows everything I have told you. It was in every paper and on every news station. Balgus and Flo wouldn't have tried to keep it from him. They aren't soft people and it wouldn't have occurred to them to shelter him. Leon went to jail for it. I wasn't blamed."

"How is _that_ possible?" Hitomi gaped.

"Dornkirk is very charismatic, and he convinced everyone that it wasn't my fault at all and that instead Leon had every reason to want my parents dead. Of course, Flo and Balgus weren't convinced by that story. Everyone knew it was really me that pulled the trigger, but Dornkirk can convince anyone of anything – even if it is completely ridiculous – when he stands in front of them. So, I got off and Leon when to prison, but not before he managed to get his wife pregnant. Leon went to prison for thirteen years for the murder of my parents, and when he got out; he wouldn't go see his son or daughter. I think Allen didn't care what happened to his old man, because their mother had long since divorced him, but Celena … she was a young impressionable girl and she wanted to meet her father."

"Is he still part of the Zaibach group?" Hitomi asked cautiously.

"No. I believe Dornkirk paid him a solid sum of ten million dollars to take prison instead of me. Leon has 'other' ambitions and he wanted the money bad enough to do it when Dornkirk asked him. He got the money as soon as he got out and we haven't seen him since. I have no idea what's happened to him, but Celena came looking for him, and instead of finding him … she found Dilandau. Excellent luck, eh?"

"Pretty poor, if you ask me!" Hitomi said, finally understanding another situation.

"Indeed," Folken said dryly. "In any case, now you know why trying to mediate between Van and me is a waste of time. Now that you've heard the whole story, I'll take you to your car."

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry about this everyone. I know this is a really late update. Kaytala's really busy and hasn't had time to beta read lately, so this is an unbeta read chapter. If you notice any mistakes, you may point them out if you like, but you might end up working harder than you wanted to. So, we'll try to have the next chapter out sooner than this time.

Thank you to everyone who reviews and posts on the forum. You fill me up with purple hearts and make me sing loudly in the shower. I love you guys! Later.

Oh, and the forum will be up right away if you feel like visiting. Cheers!


	16. Serpent's Tongue

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

Author's Notes: Hiya! Okay, so I know there was a two week break last time I updated and you all waited so patiently until the chapter was ready, and then the alert function was down so a lot of you didn't know that I'd updated. But I love you guys. I've missed you so much this last little bit, and I feel like I haven't been delivering properly. I am so tempermental. But now I've updated and you can look forward to another update on Tuesday. I hope that I'm still delivering with this story and keeping you all thoroughly entertained.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Serpent's Tongue**

Folken carried Hitomi down to Van's convertible himself. She thought he was in too much pain to do something like that, but he told her that the song he sang made his pain go away.

"If I wasn't The Sorcerer and able to convince my body that I don't feel any pain with my song, I would already be dead. Right now, I don't feel anything, so I'll carry you. It's okay," he said, taking her boyish body in his arms and lifting her high. "Let me take care of you this once. Besides, I don't want you walking since you're so sore. You can try to deny it all you want, Hitomi, but I know you're not well. You've hardly taken your hands off your gut since the fight. Also, if you walk out to your car alone, a Dragon Slayer might see you and think you'd be fun to play with. We don't want that," he said saucily, almost like he had a sense of humour.

Hitomi protested, because of how awkward it felt to have Folken carry her, but it made no difference what she said. Folken wouldn't let her walk.

Hitomi felt embarrassed as they met several staggering Dragon Slayers on the stairs and in the hallways of the stadium. When they reached the main entrance, Folken called for Dallet, and he walked with them with a flashlight out to the car.

Folken set Hitomi on her feet beside the car as she fumbled with her keys and opened the door. Folken put his arm under hers and eased her into the drivers' seat without saying a word. Hitomi started the car and waited for the engine to heat up.

"Dallet," Folken said. "You can go back in now. I'm sure I can find the door without any trouble."

Dallet nodded, flicked off his flashlight, and disappeared.

"Listen, Hitomi," Folken said, crouching beside her so they were eye level. He looked gentle and controlled again. "I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do. It's nice that you're trying to make peace between Van and me. I just don't think it's possible. Van means what he says, and I'm ..."

"Tired of running away from a punishment you're sure you deserve?" she finished for him.

"It's okay, Hitomi. You don't have to fight for me. You're still a _little_ goddess, and I'm sure not all of your abilities have been discovered yet. Someday, you'll understand why I …" He stopped speaking and shook his head painfully. "Never mind. It's not important."

"Tell me," Hitomi urged.

"Look, Hitomi," Folken said acting as though he hadn't heard her. Then he took a tight grip on Hitomi's left arm – her tattooed arm. His motion completely distracted her from what he was about to say. His touch always left her bewildered. "I stole something from you, and because you've shown me such kindness, I want to return it. It was wrong of me to take it, but I thought you would never be able to consider me if you were always reminded of Van."

Hitomi's eyes pricked with deep emotion and her eyelashes were soon laced in tears. He was giving her tattoo back!

Then he smiled at her and said gently. "It was never really gone. I just made it disappear for awhile."

"Thank-you," Hitomi breathed; her breath and his making smoky clouds of vapor in the cold of the winter night.

And with their breath so mingling, Folken said, "Let's never meet again …"

Hitomi reached out to put her arms around him. His leather jacket was stiff and hard with cold, so that hugging him was uncomfortable, but she didn't want to let go. The true meaning of his words was not lost on her. They were never to meet again because he didn't want her to stand up for him anymore. He was giving her his permission to side with Van. He didn't want her to be caught fraternizing with the enemy, and he didn't want to run away anymore.

Folken was such a hard person to understand. One minute he was kindhearted and earnest. The next he was the minion of the most evil Tarot user alive. The contrasts in his character confused her. He was definitely a dangerous man, but just now, after he had honestly shared something of himself with her, she felt that maybe the two of them weren't so different. Maybe they both started off the same. She just had someone good to guide her.

Folken seemed surprised at Hitomi's willingness to embrace him, because it sounded like he choked when her arms came around him. Then he chuckled and brought her into a tucked hug. "Maybe you are my baby sister."

Hitomi smiled, although she still felt sick to her stomach. He knew just how to say things. His words made her feel very special and little, like she had finally been let into Van's family. It was so unexpected that Van's mafia boss brother was the one to welcome her instead of his aunt.

At this very moment, both Hitomi and Folken flinched at an earsplitting sound coming from the other end of the parking lot.

"FOLKEN!"

It was none other than the real Dragon, and he was yelling his head off. Hitomi saw him rushing toward them between two long rows of parked cars. He'd either escaped or Belinda had let him out. Whichever one was true, he had definitely arrived.

"Van!" Hitomi tried to call when she saw him, but her chest was too constricted, and her voice too weak to reach him.

Folken straightened his back and walked away from Van. He said that he didn't want to run away from Van anymore, but he was clearly walking away. Was it to put some space between them for a fight, or was he going to disappear into the stadium? Hitomi looked at his retreating back and she knew that she didn't understand. She guessed Folken wanted to see if Van would let him go.

Van gave Hitomi one enraged look before he rushed past her and stood behind Folken. He planting his two feet firmly in the snow and he yelled at his brother, "Folken! Turn around and face me!"

It was the exact Van Hitomi had worked so hard to hold back while she fought Folken.

"Van," Hitomi called again, lurching out of the car, but Folken was right. She was far more injured than she'd let herself believe. She couldn't even stand up straight and she fell face first into the snow. "Van!"

Van didn't even turn to look at her, but instead repeated his challenge to Folken. "Come fight me!" he bellowed over the snow.

Folken didn't turn all the way around, but just enough for his voice to reach Van. "Hitomi is injured. Are you just going to leave her there in the snow? Is that all she's worth to you?"

Hitomi might have imagined it, but she thought she could feel Van's heart as it skipped a beat.

Then there wasn't a sound in the air except the crunching of Folken's footfalls on the crisp snow as he headed back toward the stadium.

Van stood in the parking lot, looking crestfallen and pissed off at the same time. Folken had just told Van the proper way he should be behaving and Van despised being told what the correct thing was by a person like Folken – Hitomi could feel it.

Hitomi had to get to him. She felt as though Folken had given her his permission to side with Van, as much as she hated to get it. She didn't want Folken to give up. She had to get to Van and calm him, but she could hardly raise her head. She tried calling to him again, but her voice was weak, "Van."

His head whipped around like it was triggered by a rip cord. Then he steadily came towards Hitomi and putting his bare hand to her cheek, said in the tightest voice, "Hitomi, what you've done tonight … is serious." He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the passenger side of the car. Then he opened the door and sat her inside – without the least bit of tenderness in his motion. But he managed to ask her how hurt she was. She explained that she had been punched in the face and kicked in the stomach. Van nodded his head and shut the car door behind him.

Just then, Allen came running up. Apparently, they had driven together. Allen asked Van what had happened.

"We're going back to the mansion," Van said. "Hitomi has already blown our chances. She's hurt, so I think we should go back."

Allen was angry and he acted like it, but Van wouldn't let him take it out on Hitomi. Allen said he didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to hear a full explanation and say some choice words to her about the trick she pulled, but Van wouldn't allow it.

"That's my job," Van said, putting his hand on Allen's shoulder and telling him that they'd talk back at the mansion.

Hitomi put a hand to her mouth. She had never heard Allen so angry. Allen was always the gallant hero type, and he didn't say mean things to women – even when he rejected them or broke their hearts. He just wasn't that sort of guy, but when she heard him speaking just now, it sounded like he wasn't going to spare Hitomi.

Then Van got behind the wheel and put the car in reverse, but he didn't say a word. Hitomi watched Allen's blonde head as he headed back towards the truck and got inside.

Once they were out of the parking lot, Van started. "So, you have perfected the whole feminine wile thing. Good for you," he said. His voice was like acid. "Just to make things clear, you have five minutes to explain why you locked Allen and me up, and what happened here at the stadium. I'd love to give you more time than that, but right now I'd beat the hell out of you if you weren't my wife – a feeling I never thought I'd experience towards you, so you'd better talk quickly. Go."

Hitomi put her fingers to her temples and related the feelings she had about why Van shouldn't be allowed to kill Folken. Then she talked about how she decided to go to the stadium herself in order to change into Folken to talk him about turning himself in to the police.

"Oh? And how did that go?" Van asked poisonously, while he dangerously changed lanes.

"Van! You're going to kill us!" Hitomi gasped as she reached for her seatbelt.

"I'll drive however I want," he said, pressing down on the gas petal even harder.

Hitomi clicked her seatbelt into place. "We're going to get pulled over!"

"Time's a-wasting!" Van reminded her tauntingly as he ran a red light.

"I changed into Folken!" she admitted. "But I couldn't stay in his body. He was hurt. He didn't properly heal after his wings split through his back. I don't know if they split out recently or if it was an old wound. I don't know, but I couldn't stand to be him. I was in too much pain, so I transformed into you and fought him in the stadium."

"You did what?" Van spat. "And lost? How could you lose?"

"I didn't want to fight him. I wanted to convince him that you wanted to forgive him, but I couldn't convince him. You were so angry inside me and I couldn't figure out what to say to him that would make him listen to me. So, I got hurt."

"You know what you've done, Hitomi! You've taken my chance to have a fair fight with Folken and thrown it away. I don't want to kill Folken in his sleep, or slip a poison into his cup, or shoot him with a rifle from a hundred meters – I want to fight him fist to face and beat the hell out of him! On my own! Damn you, Hitomi! Damn you!"

Hitomi closed her eyes tightly. Her speech had ripped her lip open afresh and it stung. She licked her lips and swallowed the blood. She couldn't answer Van for a second, so she just tasted her blood, and tried to think of what to say to him. Maybe it was best not to say anything just now.

"So, tell me Hitomi, what were you thinking?"

Hitomi hesitated before she answered. "I was thinking that there had to be something that you didn't know about the deaths of your parents, and once you knew it, you would want to make up with him. I thought that it would somehow turn out not to be Folken's fault."

"And Folken told you what happened?" Van asked. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"He said he thought the gun wasn't loaded," Hitomi mumbled.

"Oh? And did he try to evoke your pity with that old line? I've heard that too, but you don't understand – it doesn't matter if he thought the gun was empty. His desire to kill our parents was so strong that he didn't feel the kick on the weapon when he fired at my dad. He was so blood thirsty that he didn't feel the kick. Do you know what that means, Hitomi? Have you ever fired a gun in your life? You can't miss the kick. It's really strong. For a little girl like you it would throw your arm completely off target. You wouldn't be able to fire two shots in a row like that. So, either he shot two shots off at once in a murderous rage or he re-aimed and shot my mother on purpose," Van stopped. Through his set teeth he went on, "You see, I don't believe his story that he didn't feel the kick. He was a fifteen year-old kid. I believe that his arm was thrown off course and he re-aimed … And that's why he's a bastard!"

Hitomi gulped. Van's perspective made as much sense now as Folken's had made back at the stadium. Hitomi stared out the window wondered if Folken had somehow tricked her into believing that there was a part of him that was good. She was so confused.

"I'm sorry, Van!" she found herself crying. "Why didn't you tell me this story yourself? Why didn't you tell me about Leon Schezar? Why didn't you tell me that Allen had double reason to go after the Dragon Slayers and the Zaibach Group? I feel like you've left me in the dark so much!"

"Leon Schezar?" Van questioned, sounding puzzled. "Does it matter? It's not up to me to tell Allen's stories. If he didn't tell you, then there's no reason for me to explain. It's none of my business."

"Fine! I'll understand that, but still – why didn't you tell me the story of Folken and your parents?"

"Argh! Hitomi!" Van flashed in utter frustration. "Can't you understand that I don't want to talk about it? It hurts me and makes me vulnerable to talk about what happened. Can't you understand that I work so hard to be strong, reliable, and everything else, so you that you'll feel secure with me? How will it go over if I crumble in your arms about old wounds? You've given up your family and most specifically – your father – to be with me. I have to be the one man in your life and I have to be strong enough to protect you when I'm doing all this crap – fighting the Dragon Slayers. I told Allen that it was okay for you to be around us while we did all these dangerous, compromising things because you were strong enough to take care of yourself even when I wasn't around, but is that really true? You may be a goddess, but I can't deny my feelings, and my feelings tell me that I have to stay close to you and keep you safe like you're a jewel. I don't know what it is about you, Hitomi, but I see your delicate profile and feel the small bones in your wrist when I touch you and … bloody hell! I can't leave you alone. You say you're a goddess and that you're indestructible, and I think that there's no way in hell that's true, not when I know that I would allow my body to be ripped to pieces in exchange for your safety."

Hitomi held her tongue. She never knew what to say when Van got intense, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him like this before.

Van took a deep breath and kept speaking, "And that's not just lip service. I let Folken and Dornkirk bleed me for months because I believed it would keep you safe. If you love me, I can't understand why you're siding with Folken and refusing my protection. Tonight, I can't stand to look at you."

Hitomi knew she was going to hurt Van when she handcuffed him to the bed, but she had no idea that the pain was going to run so deep. "It wasn't just for Folken," Hitomi shouted quickly. "I thought that I wouldn't be able to live with you if you became a murderer."

"Whatever," he dismissed. "It seems to me that you've thought a lot about Folken since he started putting the moves on you. You make me crazy. You friggin' don't understand me, Hitomi! There is no one else in my life, except you. I hate to labour over the obvious, but I have no parents. I have no siblings. Balgus, my substitute father, has been gone for years and the hold that Flo would have on me, if I allowed it, is definitely too controlling. You know that she wanted to choose my wife for me. Ridiculous! And you wondered why I fought so hard for Allen's friendship. Well, this is the reason. I haven't got many people in my life, but my relationship with Allen is nothing compared to _us._"

"I'm sorry," Hitomi said, fluttering. She didn't know how to answer him.

"I'm trying to tell you that you mean everything to me, and that not only have you ruined my chance to fight with Folken tonight, but you've nearly burned my heart out of my chest. I have been so worried about what might happen to you since you went on your own," Van said, taking his right hand off of the gear shift and putting it behind Hitomi's neck. "That, and I simply don't believe you when you and Dryden say that you're immortal." Van abruptly let go of her and put his hand on the steering wheel, leaving her alone.

Hitomi bit her lip. "It's a lie, Van!" she hastily confessed.

"What?"

"Dryden told me later that he didn't think that I would be immortal until I stopped bleeding – only then would I have achieved 'the goddess'. Do you see my lip, Van? I still bleed. I'm not immortal yet."

Van inhaled sharply. "It's good to know that my instincts aren't totally off, but at the same time – you went to go reason with Folken when you knew that he could have killed you? What the hell is wrong with you?" Van burst, yelling again.

"You can say whatever you want, Van. I promised that I would listen to all of it without complaining, so you can yell as long and as hard as you want to, but I want you to understand one thing about me. I have to live forever, and I'll probably never be able to have children." There, she dropped her bomb. Now she crossed her arms and waited for Van to answer her.

Silence.

"I couldn't stand to be without you too," she said softly.

Silence.

She waited.

Silence.

"Well, talk to me Van. Tell me what you think. Talk!" Hitomi cried.

When he finally answered he sounded calm for the first time since he found her in the Dragon Slayer parking lot. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I already knew."

Hitomi didn't know what to think of that. "Dryden told me that he wouldn't tell you."

"He didn't," Van said steadily.

"Then how?"

Van didn't answer her but slowed the car down and unrolled the window. Van had never sped so recklessly before and Hitomi was shocked when she recognized the steel bars just on the other side of the windshield. They were back at Dryden's mansion already.

Van spoke to the guard on the intercom and the gate swung open. As they drove up the driveway, Hitomi saw that the valet was in the process of parking another vehicle. It wasn't Allen's truck. Whose car was it?

Van followed the valet to the garage and parked his own car himself. "Can you walk?" he asked her in a matter-of-fact voice.

"We'll see," she said, putting her hand on the car door handle.

"Wait," Van said, stopping her action. "We're not finished this argument." Then he got out of the car.

Hitomi opened the door and straightened her body. She was trying to act natural, but her body was still really sore. She was beginning to question if Folken had broken her ribs. That man had a strong kick.

Van came around the back of the car and put her arm over his shoulder. "Now, I'm sorry that Folken beat the crap out of you. I won't make you walk alone, even though you seriously screwed up."

Hitomi looked at Van. She knew that he'd be mad, but this whole situation had brought a part of his personality to light that she hadn't known existed. It was like meeting another Van.

The valet came up to Hitomi and Van and said cheerfully, "Good evening. You've heard the news, eh?"

"What news?" Van asked, while Hitomi found her footing.

The young man smiled, "Master Fassa is back."

"Dryden's back?" Hitomi gasped.

"That must mean …" Van said cautiously, "that he's brought The Sun God with him."

* * *

Author's notes: Today I must announce that I have had a trade in beta readers. Kaytala has been so busy that she no longer has time for me. BOO HOO! She still rocks my silly little world, but she's got other stuff she's got to take care of right now. My new beta reader is Sharlee. She's writing the Escaflowne fic 'Deeper than the Sky'. So, a big round of applause for her.

Thank you to everyone who leaves comments. I love reviews. Everyone loves reviews, but I really love the reviews of people who have managed to make it all the way through my story. I think I'm coming close to the series being around 300,000 words. Not everyone can make it this far, so thank you for sticking with me. Me and my new partner will try to have stuff ready on time. Tueday will be the new update day. And if you do like going to the forum, I'll be opening the topic thread right away.

Thanks again! You guys make me mind boggilingly happy.

* * *


	17. The Sun God

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Sun God**

Van and Hitomi proceeded from the garage slowly. It had been a long day for both of them, and if Dryden was back with The Sun God, then that meant that it wasn't over yet. Hitomi was feeling overwrought and was extremely tempted to have Van carry her upstairs to bed without seeing Dryden or meeting The Sun God. She was so sore, and tired, and emotionally exhausted, but Dryden came and met them in the corridor on the way in.

"Van, Hitomi," Dryden said when they came face to face. "How have things been going?" Then he saw Hitomi's bruised face and split lip, "Hitomi! Are you okay?"

She nodded.

Dryden immediately went over to Hitomi's free side, and took her other arm and put it around his shoulder, so that he and Van were both assisting her down the hallway. Hitomi thought it was very sweet of him, because she didn't really need both of them to help her.

"Glad to see you back," Van said, maneuvering around a leafy plant. "So, did you bring _him_ with you?"

"Yeah, I brought him," Dryden said, and it might have been Hitomi's imagination, but she thought that Dryden's voice dropped significantly in pitch as he said those words. Then Hitomi remembered again how afraid Dryden had always seemed of The Sun God. She moved to have a look at his face, but he was turned away from her. "He wasn't as hard to find as I thought he was going to be. It was only a matter of waiting for my mother in Madrid, flying back to the coast, and then flying back to the city. She went straight to him like a compass going north."

"Is your mother here too?" Hitomi asked.

"No," Dryden said shaking his head. "She said she didn't mind meeting The Sun God, but she didn't want to make a best friend out of him. I think she said she was heading towards the Antarctic. She always goes to the most outlandish places. As for me, I haven't even unpacked a packet of pumpkin seeds yet. We just came in the door ourselves. I only just heard from the housekeeper that no one was at home. So, you guys just barely got back? Obviously, you weren't out on a date. Did you have a run in with the Dragon Slayers?"

"Sort of," Van said gruffly. "She did."

"And where were you?" Dryden asked Van accusingly.

Van snorted. "Don't even go there until you hear the details." Then with a flush on his face he added, "And you won't hear them from me." He had to be thinking of Hitomi handcuffing him to the bed. He probably didn't want Dryden to know, because then he'd never hear the end of it.

"And what could make my dear Van turn such a touching shade of red?" Dryden joked, reaching over with his free hand and flicking Van's ear.

Van snapped his teeth like he was going to bite Dryden's hand. It was like a dog chomping its teeth shut, but Hitomi interrupted their banter with; "Where is The Sun God now?"

Dryden turned his attention back to Hitomi and answered, "He's in the front sitting room waiting to talk to you two. I was just about to call Van on his cell phone when I met you in the hall. Do you want to go meet him right now?" Dryden asked.

"What's he like?" Hitomi questioned.

"Not what I expected."

"But you were expecting a child, weren't you? So, how could you be surprised?"

"Come on," Dryden said, leading them to the front hall. "Once you meet him, you'll understand why I was surprised. Somehow I was expecting a child, but he's not really a child, more of a –"

"Teenager," a delicate voice finished from inside the front sitting room.

Van froze like the blood in his veins had suddenly become lead.

"What's wrong?" Hitomi asked him.

"Please come in," the voice invited from beyond the door.

"I'm probably insane, but that sounds exactly like …" Van said, not finishing his thought.

"Like who?" Hitomi prompted.

"Never mind," Van said, becoming fluid again. "Let's go meet him."

There was a tapestry curtain hanging over the door to the sitting room. Dryden carefully moved it out of the way before he guided Hitomi and Van into the room. Hitomi was worried whether or not Dryden was comfortable in The Sun God's presence, but he had moved behind her, and she was too curious to get a look at The Sun God herself to turn her head for Dryden.

At first, she didn't see him. The room was furnished with a large sofa with its back to the door with a couple arm chairs and tables facing a grand marble fireplace. The sofa was deep, so she didn't see the top of his pale head at first. But then a young man rose up from his place on the couch and came towards them. The boy was blond, just like the portrait, but when he turned around and faced Hitomi and Van, she realized that he was someone she already recognized.

He looked exactly like Van's old roommate Chid. He looked so much like him that he couldn't be anyone else.

"Chid?" Van asked. _ He_ wasn't lost for words.

Chid smiled and came towards the two of them. He looked just like he had when Hitomi first met him in the basement of Van's old home, except that this time he wasn't dressed casually. Instead, he was wearing a black dress suit with a stark white shirt. A couple of his buttons weren't done up at the collar, as he wasn't wearing a tie. Chid's hair was light blond and tousled He was slipping his hands into his pants' pockets carelessly, and looking every inch a billboard advertisement for graduation suits.

He shook hands with Van. "Good to see you again," he said to both of them.

Apparently, Dryden hadn't come into the room with them, so Chid invited them to sit down and talk to him like he was their host.

"This isn't a trick, is it?" Van asked him once they were seated. "You really joined the Abaharaki and lived in the room across the hall from mine, didn't you?"

Chid smiled again, his features so delicate that he was almost as elegant as a girl. "Of course," he said. "Did you really think that I would let Dornkirk do whatever he wanted?" When he spoke to Van in longer sentences he spoke with a different voice from the one Hitomi was familiar with. It was the voice of a young man, not quite grown into a tenor, but his way of speaking was different. He clearly had an accent, but Hitomi could not decipher what country he was from. Hitomi wasn't sure, but she thought it made him even cooler.

Van looked at him crookedly, "But you haven't done anything."

"No," Chid said, watching Hitomi even though he was speaking to Van. "There was a reason for it. A very good reason, so it's okay for you to relax. Besides keeping an eye on Dornkirk, I also joined your resistance group as an opportunity to meet you and evaluate you, Van."

Van's eyes narrowed, "And why would you want to do something like that? I seem to remember Dryden telling Hitomi and me something about how you 'organize' Tarot users when everyone has gone insane. If that's true, then why are you even talking to me? I haven't done anything wrong."

"Oh really?" Chid said. A lock of his blond hair fell between his eyes and he regarded Van specifically – almost dangerously.

Their eyes met, and Hitomi wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would Van continue to act rebelliously, or would Chid look away? An uneasy moment passed, but ended when Van faltered under the probing gaze of The Sun God. Hitomi couldn't believe it.

Chid began speaking anew once Van had obviously given up his obstinate attitude. "Hmm …" he said indifferently, "Still so innocent."

Hitomi wasn't sure if Chid was making fun of Van or what, but she still didn't understand why Van had caved when he wanted to pit himself against Chid and why Dryden was afraid. She didn't understand the cowardice in their averted eyes. She wasn't afraid. She had questions for him, and she was going to ask them without shrinking into her shell.

"I have to ask you something. Did you let the Dragon Slayers capture you last spring?" Hitomi asked, still trying to make sense of everything that was happening.

He laughed. "Yeah. Such a joke! But they wouldn't keep me once they realized that I wasn't _normal_."

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked Chid. She slipped her fingers between Van's and wondered why they was so cold.

"Well, they were going to keep me locked up with Richard, Nick and Jeremy, but that wasn't going to work. They were brainwashing those guys, and they weren't wasting any time. I think they were worried that Van truly would go berserk and somehow get them back by the end of the day, so Dilandau started talking to us about our pasts and trying to find out why each of us were in the Abaharaki," Chid explained. "They kept us in a room in the basement and Eries was in the room next door. The Dragon Slayers who were with Dilandau didn't want to bother with us guys. They were under orders that we were to be left unharmed because Dilandau's reason for having us was to convince us that the Dragon Slayers weren't to blame for our sorrows and instead it was the Abaharki. However, I must say that Dilandau's thugs didn't _say_ that they were itching to be left alone with Eries. All of them were acting all friendly because it was part of the scheme. Actually, they were going to take us to a resort or a mansion or something to further convince us that they were our friends. Dilandau was telling us our travel plans like we were honoured guests."

"And you didn't want to go along with it, or to try and rescue those guys?" Hitomi asked.

"Frankly, no," Chid said. He still looked young and inexperienced, but his words held a level of ruthlessness that surprised Hitomi. It was probably the virgin skin on his cheeks that gave him the appearance of youth, since his blue eyes were as vast as the night sky. However, he didn't frighten her. She didn't understand why Van had suddenly grasped her hand and why he was clenching so tightly. Wasn't he angry with her? But Chid was still talking. "The Dragon Slayer's goal was to destroy the Abaharaki, and Richard, Nick and Jeremy were not going to be hurt. They were going to be fine, and I didn't care if the Abaharaki eventually got disbanded just then. I was much more concerned about Eries. If I didn't do something to help her, she would certainly have been gang raped before morning and I simply could not allow that."

"Would Dilandau have done that?" Hitomi squeaked. Even thinking about a fate like that made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Dilandau wouldn't have raped her himself. He's not that type. They really weren't kidding when they said that he was a one-woman man. There's no one for him but Celena. In Dilandau's heart, there are only two things: his ego and Celena. And it may surprise you, Hitomi, but his ego is the lesser of the two. He's completely obsessed with her, but he would have allowed his thugs to do whatever they wanted with Eries. Well, I couldn't let that happen. Forget the Abaharaki – Eries was more important. So, I pitched a gigantic fit until they got so fed up with me that they threw me into the room with Eries. They had no plans to treat her like a princess, so now I was in the same boat she was."

Hitomi shivered. "Then what happened?"

"Well, after they'd gotten Richard, Jeremy and Nick all ready to leave the stadium, Dilandau's thugs finally got their chance to come in and get us. They were practically salivating. By now, it was probably about two or three in the morning. They were taking Eries out. They wanted to take her to a different room, and at first there wasn't anything I could do about it. So, I waited until they left."

"Then?"

"Once they were gone, I melted the lock on the door and went after them. By the time I got there, they had already cut her hair and bled her a little for their amusement. The Dragon Slayers are very interested in blood, aren't they, Van?"

Van drew his eyebrows together and gave Chid a mildly dirty look. It seemed that he couldn't bring himself to be more natural. Hitomi could tell that he wanted to do something more than just that, but somehow did not have the spirit for it.

"I must admit that it was difficult acting like I wasn't there to rescue her," Chid said.

"What did you do?"

"I knocked on the door and got one of them to answer. Then I grabbed him by his throat and asked him to ask the others to leave the room," Chid continued simply.

"And that worked?"

He nodded.

"How is that possible? You look like a kid. How could that guy have taken you seriously?" Hitomi asked.

"I'm sure you have your ways of making people take you seriously, Hitomi. One day, you'll learn mine," he smiled placidly, and Hitomi noticed how white his teeth were and how cheerful his smile was. It seemed totally unnatural, almost like he was posing for a photo shoot. "Anyway, I got them all out in the hallway and convinced one of them to go back and untie Eries and take us to a new room, where we would be left alone until our 'friends' came to get us. They had a sickening table in the room they cut Eries' hair in and I can't go into a room like that."

"And that's all there was to it?"

"Basically," he said.

"Well, then why didn't you do something to stop all the crap that has happened since then, if you're so powerful?" Van asked, trying in vain to keep his spite in check.

"There's this funny thing, Van. It's called … I don't have to explain myself to you. Imagine that!" Chid said, not mockingly, but like he was a parent talking to a stubborn child who kept asking why.

Van let go of Hitomi's hand and folded his arms across his chest. He buried his chin into his collarbone and blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. He clearly was not going to ask The Sun God any more questions.

"Okay, Van. I will explain one thing to you. I'm not the kind of God who necessarily stops bad things from happening. Does that satisfy you?"

"Partly," Van said slowly. "I guess I'm just pissed that you didn't tell us what their plans were if you knew them. You could have told us that they were going to brainwash those guys. Then I wouldn't have gone to The Voltage Room in the first place, because they could have just stayed with the Dragon Slayers."

"What about Allen? Would you have gone to The Voltage Room if it was just to save Allen? Just one person? What if it was just to save Hitomi?" Chid asked patiently, like he was trying to teach Van a very small lesson in friendship.

Van hesitated. "But if you could see all their plots, then why didn't you tell us what you saw?"

"Who said I could see all their plots? Yes, I understood their plans regarding those Abaharaki boys and Eries, but I don't see everything. I think you have some interesting ideas as to what I'm capable of. I wouldn't have known that those punks wanted to rape Eries if they hadn't been thinking of nothing else, and Dilandau's plan for our boys was clear by what he was saying. Richard and the others wanted to fall for it rather than being beaten up or killed. I thought that you would have an idea as to what I can do because of your wife, but you clearly haven't been paying much attention if you don't understand that I have my limits."

"Then why are you scaring the hell out of me just by looking at me?" Van shouted, finding his voice for the first time and springing to his feet. It seemed like he had to yell to stop his voice from trembling.

Chid broke eye contact with Van and turned away. It was clear that he was not choosing to talk to Van about this right now. Then he said slowly, "Dragon, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like it if you would leave Hitomi and me alone. I want to talk to her."

Van looked like he wanted to refuse, but at the last moment he stalked out of the room. As soon as the tapestry fell closed, Chid got up from his place on the opposite chair and came over to Hitomi.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" he asked.

Hitomi nodded and explained how she got hurt at the stadium.

"Folken did, eh?" Chid said, standing directly in front of Hitomi. "Is that so?" he seemed to be thinking very hard about what happened.

"Somehow," Hitomi said pensively, thinking about everything Dryden had told her about The Sun God. He said that Chid could see through the very soul of a person and read their thoughts and wishes. She was still confused as to why everyone was so afraid. He didn't look any different to her than when she had met him, except that his voice was more cultured. She didn't feel like he was an enemy, but still a friend. She thought that he had made the right choice by choosing to save Eries rather than the boys, and she still remembered how he used to compliment her on her cooking. "I think that Folken isn't completely a bad person," she said, "not all the way through. There is something about him … I don't know how to explain it. He told me the story of his parents' deaths tonight, but I can't help feeling like he's not rotten to the core, like Van seems to believe. But he's The Sorcerer! He might have been tricking me."

Chid shook his head slowly, "That's not possible."

Hitomi looked at Chid carefully. She was trying to analyze him. She had thought before that being in The Sun God's presence would make her a little uncomfortable because of his insight, but Hitomi didn't feel afraid or even like she was transparent. She just felt like she was talking to a Tarot user about a Tarot user problem and that was all.

"No?" Hitomi questioned.

"No," he said, without any uncertainty in his voice. He said it like it was an absolute fact. "Dryden said that I could take you into his portrait gallery for our conversation, but I don't like how hurt you are. I thought I could stand it, but I can't. It's inappropriate for me to touch you, since you're bound to The Dragon and everything. I have the ability to heal anyone, but I have to lay my hands on their injury. Do I have your permission?"

Hitomi consented.

He instructed her to lie on her back on the couch and Hitomi did what he told her to do, but she was suddenly extremely uncomfortable. She told herself that he was like a doctor, and that she should trust him, even if he did look like the cover of one of Marlene's teen magazines. It was weird for her in other ways too. It was like her health had suddenly become a public matter, and the people who were getting the most information were people Hitomi wouldn't have trusted if she wasn't a Tarot user. Even now, she didn't feel at all comfortable letting Chid examine her. Was he going to try something funny on her?

He brought his face close to hers and looked into her eyes. At first, his proximity frightened Hitomi and her first instinct was to push him away, but when she saw the look in his eyes, it was as though every impulse in her body changed its mind and instead was whispered to her that it was okay for her to trust him. He wasn't like any other Tarot user she had ever met, but was the greatest Tarot user ever born. His eyes were those of a man as old as time itself, and the way his fingers touched her split lip and bruised ribs was the way a tired man touches a baby in his arms; not at all sexual, only healing and caring in a way Hitomi had only imagined belonged to those who nurtured children.

"Chid?" she asked.

"That's not my real name," he said gently. "It was only my name as long as I was in the Abaharaki. You can call me that if you wish, but I'd rather you called me by my real name when we're alone."

"What's your real name?" Hitomi asked.

His eyes seemed warmer, though he did not smile. "Nah," he said, sounding like a kid again. "I'll wait until you can tell it to me. Now," he took her hand in his and said, "I want to go to the gallery and have a look at my portrait, and I'd like you to come with me."

Hitomi let him help her to her feet, and then they walked side by side to the west wing of Dryden's mansion. All the pain was gone. She actually felt fit and energetic at the end of such a tiring, complicated day.

Chid opened both the doors to the portrait gallery with a great thrusting of his small shoulders. Then he closed them again with a flourish when Hitomi entered the room.

"I feel like I've waited forever for you," he said, walking around looking at the different pictures. "It's unfortunate, but I had to wait for Dryden to work up the courage to come find me."

"Why?"

He didn't answer her question at all, but began talking about something else. "Being with Van was hard for you, wasn't it? Maybe you might even describe it as frustrating. He wanted to wait until you discovered that you were a Tarot user on your own, but you hated doing things his way, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Hitomi said, thinking back. "Why are Tarot users always so exasperating? Why can't they just say what we are and what we can do instead of isolating themselves and making themselves lonely and miserable? Like Akira and I. Why couldn't she have just told me what I was and how we were connected?"

Chid smiled at her and actually began walking circles around her. "Of course, that seems like the right thing to do. From a normal human perspective, being open seems like the best course. Balgus and Flo should have been open with Van. Akira should have been open with you. Van should have been open with you, but what would you have said if he just came up to you and laid all that information on you?"

"Who knows?" Hitomi answered, not flinching, even though Chid's walking was causing her to turn around in circles so she could look at his face while he walked. "We'll never know how I would react since that's not what happened."

"True," Chid smiled and led her to the other end of the room, so he could look at his picture. The picture was the same as before. There was a boy with blond hair and a boy with dark.

"Now, this is a curious rendition," Chid said as he looked at the picture.

"Dryden told me that it's believed that you were born with dark hair and that when you became The Sun God, your hair turned blond," Hitomi told.

Chid laughed and his eyes filled with merriment. "That's a lovely tale. It was probably told to him when he was a child so that he wouldn't be so afraid of me, but it didn't make a difference to him. He was still afraid to meet me. Poor Dryden! He was such a sad child. The story is a lie, Hitomi. I was born blond."

"Then why is there a black haired child in your portrait if it's not you?" Hitomi asked.

"Hitomi," he said, "I knew that you wouldn't make much progress with Van as your teacher. He's brave, strong, clever and lucky, but I knew that he would not be able to lead you on the correct path. I also knew Dryden would come and find you, because of his symbol; he can't help befriending lonely creatures like you. So, it was a given that he would find you and teach you many things that the Ace of Serpents could not. Then I had to wait for him to become desperate enough to find me. He's hid from me far too long, but I knew he would break and come see me if he involved himself with the mess that's been going on in your corner of the world."

Hitomi was trying to make sense of Chid's words, but the only thing she could get out of them was that he had reasons for doing everything he did, but they were not evident to her. She would have to learn a lot more about him before she could judge what sort of person he was.

"From here, everything that was important has fallen into place, so now I can move."

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked.

Chid looked surprised, but explained for her benefit. "Van showed you the door, Dryden told you where you were going, and now I am going to give you the key and walk through the door with you. You understand, don't you, that if I had shown up at first light, you would not have trusted me. I saw that immediately when I met you and had to allow things to progress in this slow fashion, but it all worked out well. From this point on, I can't be stopped."

"From doing what?" she asked when he didn't continue.

Chid walked another circle around her and then stopped and said abruptly, "I'm going after Dornkirk. He's done enough, and you're coming with me."

"I'm coming with you?" Hitomi gasped.

"Yes," Chid said, looking totally uncompromising. "I will show you the rest of your abilities if you'll come with me tomorrow." Chid looked at the shiny watch he was wearing on his right wrist. "It's eleven fifty eight now, so I will go meet Dornkirk by eleven o'clock tomorrow morning."

"That fast?" Hitomi asked, completely aghast.

"Yes. There is no reason to wait. Dryden has arranged a driver for us, and we can go tomorrow to sort Dornkirk out."

"Is Van coming?"

Chid shook his head. "Van has nothing to do with Dornkirk. He isn't involved and it would be better if it was just the two of us. Van does not want to meet me yet."

Hitomi frowned. She didn't understand. What did he mean? He and Van had already met. They had been roommates and known each other for months. What did he mean that Van didn't want to 'meet' him yet?

"As for Folken," Chid went on. "I will go meet him a half an hour after I go see Dornkirk. Listen to me very carefully, Hitomi. If I meet Folken tomorrow, I will kill him. It's up to you to decide if you are willing to allow that fate."

"It's up to me? Why does such a thing belong in my hands? I can't decide if Folken deserves to die for what he did. I can't. That's too much for me!" Hitomi cried, backing away from Chid. She didn't doubt what he said for an instant.

"It's not as complicated as you think," Chid said, not looking angry or vengeful or anything. "If you choose to warn him that I'm coming at eleven thirty tomorrow morning, then you will save his life. If I meet him, he will die. That's all there is to it." With that Chid started walking back towards the entrance to the gallery. "Please be ready to go by nine thirty tomorrow morning. I want plenty of time to get to the stadium and to bypass security, so please be ready on time. You don't have to look glamorous. You just have to come with me. Besides, I don't imagine that tonight will be easy for you, but try to bear it as best you can. If you are not awake by nine, I will come and wake you myself. Tomorrow is a day that you cannot be late for." He opened the door and stood in the frame to say two more words to Hitomi before he disappeared; "Good night."

And even as he spoke stars seemed to appear around his smile and Hitomi felt that it really was a good night even though, as he said – it wasn't going to be easy for her.

* * *

Author's Notes: THANK YOU! Everyone who reviewed! Thank you! I'm sorta bummed lately and I really appreciate your comments. Also a big thank-you for Sharlee who has begun helping me by beta reading.

I'll put up the forum right now, so come post if you want, even though there's so much less to say since I'm tying up all the loose ends now.


	18. Green Eyed Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Green-Eyed Angel**

It was two o'clock in the morning. Hitomi was lying in bed, looking at the shadows on the ceiling. Van had not come to bed. Hitomi guessed that he was probably in the training gym working off some of his anger. It was probably just as well. If he came to bed angry, he might set the sheets on fire.

Luckily, Hitomi did not meet Van or Allen before she snuck off to bed. She was exhausted and she couldn't bear to have to explain anything more to either of them when her mind was weighed down so heavily with what Folken and Chid had told her.

Time had run out and things were shaping more suddenly than either Hitomi or Van could have anticipated. Van wasn't going to have the opportunity to have his 'fair fight' with Folken because The Sun God had decided that it was now or never. Hitomi couldn't bear to tell him Chid's decision about going after Folken himself without the fear that Van would fly in her face again. She hated fighting with Van above all things, so she had avoided him and come to bed on her own.

She was rubbing her temples and going over what Folken and Van had told her about the time Folken shot their parents. Folken thought the gun wasn't loaded. Chid told her that it was impossible for Folken to fool her. Van said Folken would have felt the kick off the shot, and must have re-aimed intentionally to murder his mother as well. What Van said appealed to her sense of logic, but what Folken said appealed to her heart. She wanted to secretly warn Folken that Chid was coming, but if she did that and Van found out … what would become of their marriage? Would Van be able to forgive her for that level of betrayal? Would she have to live the rest of her life alone? But worse than that – did she really want to betray the man she loved best on earth?

If Chid had his way, Van would not be a murderer. Did Chid mean that he would kill Folken himself if he met him the next day? Hitomi didn't want Chid to be a murderer either, but she was starting to become too muddled.

She closed her eyes and tried for the hundredth time to go to sleep. She still had lots of time to decide what she could do, but she couldn't sleep no matter how she positioned herself. She was just as uncomfortable on her side, as she was on her stomach, and as she was on her back. Finally, she lay flat on her back and closed her eyes. She started doing a relaxation exercise that she'd learned in one of her old health classes. First she relaxed her toes, then the ball of her foot, and then the heel. She made it all the way up to her shoulders, focusing on individual body parts and willing all of them to relax, when he heard a sound.

Scratch. Scratch.

It wasn't loud, but light. Maybe it was a creaking chair or bed in another room. Hitomi took a deep breath and continued her exercise. She refused to be one of those women who jumped at every sound simply because her husband wasn't in the room. Besides, the mansion was full of her friends. It was probably nothing.

Scratch. Scratch.

This time it was much louder, but Hitomi couldn't figure out which direction it was coming from. Again, she ignored it.

Scratch. Scratch.

Hitomi opened her eyes. She wasn't sure, but she thought it sounded like it was from the room below her. She was thinking rapidly, trying to remember what room was beneath hers. Was it the dinning room or the downstairs boot room? She wasn't sure, and she didn't have time to figure it out before the sound came again.

Scratch. Scratch.

Hitomi jumped. It sounded like the noise was coming from under her bed. It was like long nails scraping on wood. Hitomi was done pretending that she wasn't afraid. It sounded like there was someone under her bed, running their nails on the wooden slate beneath her. She scrambled to the head of the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She sat up and told herself that it had to be her imagination.

Scratch. Scratch.

"I'm being ridiculous. I'm being ridiculous," Hitomi told herself, clutching her knees. "There's nothing under my bed. I'm just imagining it, because it's past two and there are a lot of things bothering me. There is nothing under my bed."

Scratch. Dead air.

The second sound didn't come.

Hitomi relaxed her posture. It was probably just one of Dryden's servants doing a chore on the main floor, and now they were finished, so she might as well calm down.

Just then, a shining white hand slipped over Hitomi's bed sheets and grabbed onto the covers with a tight fist.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Hitomi screamed.

"What? You've never seen a ghost before?" a friendly voice said bonking Hitomi on the head with the slim purple book that had been sitting on Hitomi's nightstand.

Hitomi opened one eye, and looked at the owner of that voice. If her eyes weren't deceiving her, then Akira had just hit her over the head with her own logbook.

"Aunt?" Hitomi asked, opening her other eye apprehensively.

"In the flesh," she said with a wink. "Well, sort of. How have you been adjusting?" Akira asked, sitting down on Hitomi's bed.

Hitomi looked at her. She looked young – really young. Hitomi had never seen her looking this young. She said in her logbook that all ghosts appear to be in their twenties, and indeed Akira seemed only a little older than the kids in Hitomi's school. She was also black and white, just the way she described, with emerald green eyes peering through black lashes. "So, it's true. Ghosts really do look like that."

"Of course. I had no reason to lie about the afterlife," Akira said. Her hair was tied up in a long braid that she tossed behind her back as she sat down on the bed.

"Things have not been going very well," Hitomi answered, feeling compelled to answer her aunt's question for civility's sake. "How about you? Is Dominic … well?" Hitomi asked, struggling to make small talk. She wouldn't have thought it necessary except that her aunt didn't seem like a misty apparition that was going to start wailing at any moment. She just seemed like an ordinary person, and Hitomi felt like she ought to talk to her like she was normal. She might be insulted if Hitomi was discriminating.

"Oh, he's always the same. He's still mad about stuff that happened a couple hundred years ago."

"Doesn't that get tiresome? Always reminiscing over the same things?" Hitomi asked, still feeling that Dominic couldn't have been any real company for Akira as long as she was alive.

"Well, I love him, so it doesn't matter how he obsesses over his mistakes in life. He'll never be able to give up being a ghost because he'll never stop trying to correct his wrongs … even though it's way too late now."

"Yeah, he can't change anything because he's not alive anymore, so why does he even hope now?" Hitomi asked quietly. "Shouldn't he have given up already?"

"It's complicated. He's in Hell right now. I'll see him when he gets out," Akira said and then she laughed when she saw Hitomi's wide-eyed expression. "It's okay. You'll understand it all when you die."

"Is he usually in Hell?" Hitomi asked, thinking of fiery brimstone and little devils with pitch forks.

Akira shook her head. "No, but he goes in from time to time. It's sort of like a bad mood for spirits. Anyway, it would take too long for me to explain it, and it doesn't make a difference to you anyway. I forgot. You'll never die, so you won't get the guided tour of the afterlife."

"Thanks for rubbing it in," Hitomi grumbled. "So, you can just pop up here whenever you feel like it?"

"Not exactly," Akira said, scratching her nose. "If I could do that than there would be no difference in being dead or alive. I can only do something like coming to visit you on occasion. I can usually only make myself seen by a human once every couple weeks – your time. And it's only because of my abilities when I was a Tarot user. Not too many people can do what I'm doing right now. It's rare, but it is kind of amazing to be a special person even after you die. Death is like the great equalizer. Everyone dies sometime, the rich and the poor alike. So, not many people are unique after death."

"Oh," Hitomi said, feeling flat. "Well, then why didn't you come to see me before now?"

"I couldn't," Akira sighed, rubbing the back of her neck like she was very tired. "I've had stuff to do, but I can come see you now because I'm not your guardian angel."

"Is that what happens to all dead people? They become guardian angels for people on earth?"

"No," Akira said matter-of-factly. "I'm someone's guardian angel because I want to be."

"So, you don't want to be my angel?" Hitomi asked, feeling downcast.

Akira leaned over and rustled Hitomi's hair. "Don't get bent out of shape, Kid. You don't need a guardian angel. If you did, I would be here for you, but you don't. You've got much bigger powers at work for you, so you don't need me. So, don't be sad, okay?"

"Then who?"

"Didn't you read this?" Akira asked, pointing to her logbook. "There are only two people I would go out of my way for, and you're one of them."

"You're Folken's guardian angel then?" Hitomi asked, understanding who the other person Akira loved was.

"Yes. I want him to be happy. That's why I came tonight: to plead with you to save Folken's life. He can't die. I've almost got him to a place where he can live happily, so please, do what you can for him," Akira begged, looking extremely serious and sincere.

"What can I do? If you're his guardian angel, then why not just warn him yourself that Chid is coming for him tomorrow?" Hitomi questioned.

"No. I'm his guardian angel, so I can't speak to him directly. Guardian angel work has to be anonymous. Not only that but my ability to talk to living people is really weak too and I can't talk to people on his behalf often. After tonight, I won't be able to speak to another human being for another two weeks. You're the only person I can talk to about this tonight and you have the power to save him."

"You've spoken to other people about him? Who?"

"Oh, I was really proud of myself for the last thing I did. I told Naria and Eriya that they could find a really hot, single Tarot user at The Voltage Room if they went to his concert. That couldn't have worked out better. Now, he has the chance of having a woman by his side who is his type."

"Akira! You're the one who did that? Did you really mean to send two Tarot users to join the enemy ranks? Do you have any idea what damage you have done to our cause?" Hitomi snapped.

"I told you before. I am not_ your_ guardian angel, Hitomi. I'm looking out for Folken, and I don't believe Naria and Eriya have been of any help to The Devil. Besides, that has nothing to do with what's going to happen tomorrow if you don't choose to save Folken. Please save him," she asked. She didn't seem at all repentant that she had done something that angered Hitomi, but dead set on getting her message through to her niece.

"Look, I know how you feel, but it's not as simple as you say. He's Van's brother and I don't think I can make this decision without Van's help. If I did exactly what you say, I don't know what the repercussions with Van would be … and I don't think it's right not to talk to Van about this. Van is his brother and the person who was wronged the most by what happened. He was made an orphan, so I'm sorry, but your opinion doesn't matter as much as his does," Hitomi said, thinking that she sounded very smart.

"So, you're going to leave the decision up to The Dragon!" Akira flamed, standing. "He'll kill him! He's been trying for years and you're just going to give him Folken's flesh on a plate?"

"What?" Hitomi yelled, getting up and looking Akira in the face. "I don't know why this decision has been left to me. If you wanted to save Folken so badly, then why didn't you appear in front of Naria or Eriya and ask them to tell Folken to clear out before Chid gets there tomorrow morning? Why are all of you laying all this on me? I am NOT the person to make this choice!" Hitomi shouted before backing up and pacing around the room like she needed to get out. "Bloody Hell! I have friggin' had it with everyone today. I thought that I knew Folken … even though I didn't know him, I thought that I knew him. I thought that there was something about him … something in him that made him a good person even though Van said that he killed their parents. So, I went tonight to try to find out why he wasn't responsible. It turns out that he was a stupid kid! He was a stupid, evil, angry kid who fired his gun because he was pissed off. I don't know what the punishment for something like that should be. If you ask Van, then he deserves to be executed for it, but even Van doesn't just want him dead. He wants something more from this then just Folken's head. If we could think up a way to give Van what he wants without Folken dying, then that's all well and good, but I can't think of anything. Folken even thinks he deserves to die. I thought about warning him myself, but would Van forgive me for doing something like that? Or even worse, would Folken really take off even if I gave him the warning? He thinks he deserves it. He might just sit and wait for Chid to come and kill him!"

All this time it looked like Akira had been waiting to get a word in, but when Hitomi said that Folken did not want off the hook, she hesitated. She touched her throat and actually sat back down on the bed as though she had been pacified.

"You say that I have the power to save Folken, but that is a load of crap," Hitomi said forcefully. "I can't save Folken if he doesn't want to be saved. He told me tonight that he was tired of running from a punishment that he deserves. So, I don't know what you want from me. The more I think of this, the only thing I can think of is that Van is the person in trouble here and not Folken at all. He is going to get swallowed up by his feelings for vengeance if something doesn't happen quick to save him … and I don't know what to do for him," Hitomi said, turning away from Akira and touching her forehead.

"Like Dominic," Akira said quietly.

"What did you say?" Hitomi said, turning around and confronting her aunt.

"Nothing," Akira said, waving her hand like she was trying to clear the air around her. "I see that my visit was for nothing. This just isn't going to turn out how I expected. I am always so naïve, Hitomi. I always think that things will work out the way I want them to, and they never do. I'll leave it to you."

"You're not going now, are you?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah, I was. I can't help Folken, so yeah."

"But you could help me!" Hitomi said urgently.

"Oh really? How could I do that?" Akira said, her eyes flashing even greener than when she was angry.

"I need you to tell me something," Hitomi said, thinking back to that last night that she had spent with Aya. "In your logbook, you said that you gave me something – the only thing you had to give. I can't remember what that was. No matter how hard I think, I can't remember. Could you tell me what it was?"

Suddenly Akira smiled a great and sparkling smile. "At least this is something I can do," she said, reaching behind her and pulling something out of her back pocket. At first, Hitomi wasn't sure what it was, but as Akira brought it further out from behind her, it was obvious. It was a Tarot card and its back was facing Hitomi. It had an intricate diamond pattern, but Akira wasn't flipping it around so that Hitomi could see which card it was. "I'm pretty sure I taught you this," she said, holding the card between her two fingers and getting up from the bed. "Make sure you don't forget it this time," she said coyly before winding up and slamming it into Hitomi's forehead. Hitomi's head was thrown back on impact and she was knocked off balance so that she landed flat on her butt.

When Hitomi opened her eyes, Akira was gone, and she was alone in the room again. Hitomi hadn't seen which card it was.

She took to her feet and headed down towards the west wing. It wouldn't be locked up because Van was still training. Hitomi bet that Dryden had a pack of Tarot cards in the library. He had to have one.

Hitomi stumbled in the dark avoiding furniture through the mansion on the way to the portrait gallery. She ran once she was there. There were streams of moonlight coming through the windows which were set between the pictures. Finally, in the library she flicked on one of the lamps and began rummaging through the boxes that Dryden hadn't unpacked yet. There were only books in the first box and in the second. She was getting hot and sweaty from her anxiety. She had to find a deck. Somehow it was the answer to everything.

The boxes were heavy and most of them were stacked, but Dryden had opened all of them in his search for Akira's logbook. When Hitomi had gone through two stacks of boxes, she was getting frustrated and she kicked the last one. Argh! One would think decks of tarot cards would be everywhere in a Tarot user mansion. She kicked the box again.

Then she saw that there were drawers on the table that was holding the lamp. She snapped the top drawer open and found what she was looking for. She whipped the package open and started fumbling through the cards. She saw the cards for the moon, for the lover, and for the fool. No! Those weren't the one she was looking for! She started flipping through them faster and shuffled through the cups and the stones when she found a card that made her heart stop.

Hitomi dropped all the other cards on the floor. In her horror, she didn't even stoop to pick them up. She thought she was going to throw up or drop dead on the spot. Hitomi put a hand to her mouth and felt that her nose was dripping. She had a bloody nose. It didn't matter. A sickening truth had just been revealed to her.

Akira had told her something so important! She had told a child something this important! And what was worse, Hitomi hadn't remembered it after all, even though Akira had gone to such trouble to prepare her for the world of Tarot users. She thought that Akira had taught her nothing.

Truly, this was all she needed to know.

The Sun God was the judgment card.

* * *

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who reviews! It really makes a really big difference to me and honestly fills my day with a little something extra (motivation). I love reviews! Also, super-duper thanks to Sharlee for beta reading these last three chapters. It's been a really big growing experience. The forum will be up directly. Sharlee thought that the ending of this chapter was a little awkward because I have not completely revealed my intentions here. If you have any thoughts on the subject, please come to the forum and we'll get everyone's predictions out there.

Also, on another note, I have just released a poem called 'I'm Not in Love' on fictionpress, fanstory and on my wildmoonswings blog. If you're interested I invite you to come have a look at it. Thanks again for all your wonderful support! Thanks for reading! Sparkles and sunshine for everybody!


	19. The Missing Light

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne and I don't believe in the use of Tarot cards.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Missing Light**

Hitomi was working hard to pull herself together after her realization that The Sun God was really the Judgment card. She almost felt ashamed of herself for not figuring it out before. Everything pointed towards it. How would Chid be able to sort out all the Tarot users if he wasn't able to judge the situation accurately and assign blame where blame was due? Why else would Van stutter when speaking to him? And lastly, it explained perfectly why Dryden had been nervous about meeting him from the start. Who would be comfortable standing in front of a person who knew all of your faults, weaknesses, disgraces and sins?

Hitomi forced herself to get control of herself. She bent down and started picking up the fallen Tarot cards, but she felt that something was changed here that added a much more serious aspect to the decision Chid had asked her to make. She didn't understand it. Why was he giving her the ability to choose Folken's fate? If Chid was the judgment card then Folken would be judged once he came into Chid's presence. So the decision was already made. Why was he giving her the chance to change things? It didn't make sense. She wasn't even directly involved.

She picked up the last card and slid the pack back into its cardboard box. She had to talk to Van and she had to take these cards with her. He was probably still in the training gym because the west wing hadn't been locked when she came into the library. She went over and tried to open the door.

Before Hitomi even got the door to the gym open, the cracking of Van's fireball shot against the door and slammed it shut on her.

_Holy crap!_ He was pissed off!

Hitomi's first instinct was to turn around and go back into the mansion without speaking to Van, but … she had to talk to him and no matter how rip-roaring mad he was she was going to have to deal with him.

She went to grab the door handle again, but it was steaming from the heat of the fire, so she couldn't open it. She called up an ice mitten and was about to try the door again when it came open on its own accord.

Van was on the other side. He flung the door open wide and after giving her an icy cold stare, strode back to the centre of the training gym. "Knock before you come in here," he said shortly.  
"Well, I wasn't expecting to have my eyebrows blown off by your fireball at that exact second," she said, entering the gym and kicking the door shut with her heel.

"You should have," he said crossly. "What else would I be doing in here except practicing my elements? You know they are dangerous."

"You're still mad at me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm still mad at you," he said as he lit another fireball.

Until the light from Van's fire got bright, Hitomi hadn't been able to see the gym well. The only light that had been shining had been one in the corner over the door she had entered by. Now she saw that the cinderblock walls had been scorched and burnt so heavily that they were almost crumbling. Cold air from outside was seeping through tiny cracks in the walls and making the room feel like it was almost part of the outdoors. Hitomi had no idea that Van had been practicing this hard.

"Dryden's not going to be happy when he sees this," Hitomi said, looking at the walls.

"He won't care," Van said, regarding Hitomi like she was a little girl. "It doesn't matter if I shake this manor down to the last brick, I can always repair it again. Don't you remember?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. That was right! Van was master of this mansion now. She was always forgetting how things really were since she was a Tarot user. So many of the old rules for conduct were useless now, and Hitomi felt stupid that Van had to remind her about the blood pact. "Van, we have to talk," she said gloomily.  
"Really? What do we have to talk about?" he asked, as he wound up and served his fireball like it was a volleyball. It smacked against the wall where it ricocheted against the far corner and came hurling back towards Van. He put out his hand and caught it as lightly as if it were a tumbleweed. It didn't even look like he was touching it.

"That's pretty good!" she exclaimed. She wanted to admire him. She wanted to do something to show that even though she had played that terrible trick on him, she still wanted him.

"Save it," he snapped. "Try to keep on topic here. What do we have to talk about?"

Hitomi tried to speak, but she was stumbling on her feet. She was right about Van. He was sure scary sometimes. Right now his eyes were practically glowing red.

When Hitomi didn't answer him, he went on. "I'm still furious with you and I can't see that going away anytime soon. I suggest you go back to our room and relax until I'm calm."

"I don't think I can wait for that," she whispered. She wondered if he had even heard her.

"Why is that?" he asked. Clearly, he had heard perfectly.

Hitomi shook her head in aggravation; she couldn't stand to beat around the bush for another second. She'd had it! She flipped open the Tarot card package she had been holding and selected Van's card. "As if we have time for the two of us to be squabbling!" she fumed. "If we had time, I'd do what you want. I'd go sit in our room and wait for you until I turned green, but we don't have time for that. Listen up Ace of Serpents!" Hitomi ordered as she tossed Van's card at him. It landed near his feet and he stooped to pick it up, his fireball extinguishing as he did so. "Tomorrow The Sun God is going after The Devil, and he's taking me with him. Now, I have to ask you – do you know who The Sun God is?"

Van flipped his card between his fingers like it was a pen from school or a cigarette. "I suppose you're saying that he's someone else besides my old roommate, Chid?"

"Yeah," Hitomi said. "But you're so perceptive, Van. You seem to know all kinds of things that I do not. So, do you know who he is?"

Van looked at his card again, looking for a clue, but Hitomi didn't wait for him to figure it out on his own before she flicked the Judgment card at him.

Van caught it and looked at it. His eyes instantly flew wide open as he recognized the significance. "You're joking!"

"I'm not," Hitomi said coolly.

"Where did you find this out? Did he tell you?"

"I'm not going to tell you how I learned it since we're not on good terms. Normally, I'd share almost everything with you, but since you're so mad at me, I want to keep my words brief," Hitomi said snobbishly.

"Don't be--"

"Tomorrow," she said haughtily, interrupting him. "He and I are going to the stadium in order to settle the score with The Devil. Afterwards, he says we are going after Folken for his crimes."

Van looked as though Hitomi had hit him and knocked the wind out of him. He just stood there with his mouth hanging slightly open and his knuckles white as dragon claws.

Hitomi just let her words sink in.

"You don't mean that," he said at last.

"Basically, Chid said that if he went to go judge him, then Folken would certainly die. He left it up to me whether or not he would meet with him tomorrow."

"Why?" Van barked. "You're completely unrelated to this issue."

"I don't know," Hitomi said slowly. "I feel unequal to deciding whether or not Chid should meet with Folken. That's why I came to talk to you. You see, even though you think I don't see your side to all this – you're wrong. I sometimes think that I _only_ see your side. You don't think that I tied you up tonight for your benefit, but I really don't want to see you become a murderer. If you kill Folken, you won't be a good person anymore. I know it in every cell of my body. You kill Folken and our love dies tomorrow. I can't stand for you to become that kind of monster, but …" Hitomi took a deep breath and hoped that her words would reach him. This was her last chance. "Whatever happens, it has to be your decision. I can't stop you from interfering with Chid's plan, so I have no choice, but to let you decide your own path. I'm not saying that I'll accept your wishes, but I will say anything – do anything – to compensate you for your losses … your parents, your family. If you let Folken go and forgive him – I will fill any hole in your life that has been left bare. I'll devote myself entirely to you. I'll completely give up my family and make you the only person in the whole world who matters to me," Hitomi said, trembling head to foot. What she was saying was much more than a wedding vow. It was an offer to give herself entirely to him. Her hands were sticky and she was leaving greasy fingerprints on the smooth surface of the card deck. She was swapping between looking at Van's ridged, poker face and her hands. She didn't know how he was taking her bargain. Did he even think that she was worth anything? Maybe she wasn't. Now her gaze was locked looking downwards at her hands. She couldn't bear to look at Van just then. His serious expression betrayed none of his feelings and Hitomi couldn't even begin to guess what he was thinking. She proceeded slowly. She couldn't stop shaking; even her voice wavered. "I probably can't have children, so I can't promise that I'll give you a boy or a girl or anything, so I'll give you the only thing I have …"

When Van spoke, his voice cracked, but Hitomi still got no clue as to what he thought of her. "Why do you keep saying that _you_ cannot have children?"

Hitomi still didn't look at Van's face. She kept her head down and answered him as if she were a robot. "Once I become the Goddess, then I will stop bleeding. That means that I'll no longer have a period … and that means no baby," she said, finishing the last words like she was admitting the worst kind of defeat.

"I see," Van said, turning away from her and putting more than a little room between then. "I always thought the problem was going to be on my end."

Then Hitomi looked up and saw his back was to her. He rubbed his neck absently. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Because I'm already a monster," he said, using the same word Hitomi used when she described what he would become if he killed Folken.

"Van! You're not!" Hitomi cried, scrunching the remaining Tarot cards to her chest.

"Don't!" he ordered, sounding exactly like the Van she had met in the club – distant and exacting. Hitomi could see his shoulders heaving. At first, he didn't say anything, but when he finally did speak he sounded cynical and callous. "I'm in the mood to be sickeningly honest tonight, Hitomi, and so I'm in the perfect frame of mind to say the truth. I am a monster. Hitomi, I don't like to dwell on this, but have you forgotten that you are the only one for me? No one other than you could stand up to me. It's always been a nice bonus that I have been … achingly attracted to you, but I can't help but wonder if you understand anything about me as a Tarot user if you don't see how dangerous I am. I told you that I set fire to things accidentally. I couldn't get the handcuffs you put on me off, but that didn't stop me from 'accidentally' setting the bedroom on fire. If you talk to Belinda, she'll tell you that she had to let me out a half an hour sooner than you wanted her to because I'd set fire to the carpet and the bed curtains."

"What? I was just in the bedroom and it looked fine!" Hitomi gasped.

"Yeah, it looked fine because I went up and fixed it while you were talking to Chid," Van said.

"… Oh," she muttered in response.

"Have you forgotten? I melt snow around me! I am not fit to have an intimate relationship with someone who isn't tougher than me, and guess what? The only person who is tougher than me is you. I'm already a monster!"

"Are you trying to insult me? I hate it when you say that you have to be with me because of your fire!" Hitomi shot back, getting a little of her spunk back. She couldn't believe he was bringing this up now.

"I'm trying to be honest with you. I am a monster!"

"Stop saying that!" she belted.

"I guess an innocent young girl like you wouldn't like to hear that her new husband is really a demon, but I am," Van said bitingly. It was almost as if he wanted to hurt her. "Chid came to see me tonight after he spoke to you. I didn't expect to see him, but he told me something interesting." Van went on, changing the subject after a pause. "He talked to me about my elements."

"Huh?"

"Watch this," Van said, taking a deep breath and putting his hands together like he was clapping. Then he pulled them apart and slammed them together again. When he pulled them apart a second time there was a crackling stream of lightning between them smacking together like raw electricity.

Hitomi stared. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"That's not all," he said. He clapped his hands together again and the sound of thunder echoed through the dead space of the training gym. The electrical current was gone when Van opened his hands. Then he waved his arm in the air like he was trying to catch water in his hand in a non-existent waterfall and the room blotted out to complete darkness. Even the light in the corner vanished and Hitomi was left in a warm bath of darkness. She couldn't feel the cold that had been slipping through the walls. Van's arms were suddenly around her and he was touching the side of her neck with the backs of his fingers. She was getting goose bumps. Van's lips were at her throat and he whispered, "And this is darkness."

"I didn't know you knew how to do this," she said. She was uncomfortable. His shift in mood had been too abrupt and she wanted him away from her. She couldn't stand for him to touch her when they were arguing. She wanted him back on the other side of the gym.

However, Hitomi didn't get a chance to protest before the light in the corner seemed to switch on again and Van let go of her and confidently strode away from her. She felt like he was acting as though he could take her or leave her. It made her angry, but then she remembered that before, she had used sex appeal to trap him. He was probably still angry about that. As a man, he probably didn't like being manipulated. She blushed and felt ashamed that she had been annoyed with him for grabbing her so suddenly. It was him showing her that he could play that game too if that's how their relationship was going to be.

She wanted to comment on it when he started his explanation of the two elements. "I have known how to call up darkness since I was given Folken's blood. I didn't want to say anything, because I hate sharing any sort of ability with him. I know they are just the common elements, but somehow I felt so dirty admitting to know how to do anything that he knew how to use."

"But I changed into you twice. How come I didn't know that you could use darkness or lightning – especially tonight when I went to fight Folken?"

"I don't know. I never used darkness before now. I thought that I knew how to use it. I thought all I had to do was draw all my desire and concentrate on them – and it turned out that that was all it was. It is probably the easiest element I've ever used. I didn't have to do anything but think hard about _everything_ I wanted. I almost called it once before, but somehow managed to avoid it."

"When?" Hitomi asked.

"It doesn't matter," Van said, turning away and clicking his tongue against his front teeth. "Anyway, I don't know why you didn't know how to use lightning. I'd been able to call it up before, but I have never had as much control over it as you saw right now."

"Why didn't you tell me when you managed to get it to work the first time?"

Van rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "The first time I did it, I only got sparks, and I singed my jeans. That's what I get for practicing with a gun. I just didn't want to show you until I could really do something, okay?"

Hitomi was thinking about why she hadn't known about those last two elements when she transformed into Van. Then she remembered how she had sought Van's thoughts during her fight with Folken. She was searching for his reasoning and it hadn't been available to her. She thought that it was because Van wasn't going to forgive Folken, but maybe her power didn't go that far. She just wasn't a mind reader. "So, I don't know the exact thoughts of the people I transform into, only their feelings. That's interesting, eh?" Hitomi said reflectively.

"That's a relief," Van said, pacing and shifting his position often. His arms were folded, then they were over his head, then they were in his back pockets, and then his front pockets.

"Why?"

He shook his head slightly, like he was annoyed and said, "I don't want you to know what I'm thinking."

Hitomi looked disappointed.

"Look, I'm not a bad person. Is it so wrong of me that I want my thoughts to remain private?"

"No," Hitomi said, matching him in irritation.

"Besides," Van continued. "Chid's sort of got a corner on that market."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you he came to talk to me tonight. He came to tell me that I wouldn't be able to master light. Light is an element that is mastered through righteousness, and he basically told me that I was shy of the bar," Van fumed. "I don't know why it makes me so angry to have him come and tell me that I'm not a good person. Furthermore, he told me that I could never be righteous enough to call up light if I continued on the path I am on." Van paused and put his arms over his head as he continued pacing. "I can't figure it out. What do I lack?"

Hitomi stared. Was he serious? "Van, it's obvious what you lack. Can't you see it?"

Van frowned.

"You need to give up your need for revenge against Folken. If you destroy him, you'll become him. Is that what you want? Chid's warning you that if you follow that path, light will never awaken inside you."

"So what? You still think I can let him go for what he has done? Hitomi, you are so innocent! Sometimes it's painful you're so innocent. You think that murdering my parents is the only thing he's done? You always seem to leave the fact that he bled me for months out of your reasoning. Do you love me at all? You also seem to forget that he is a syndicate boss. Do you have any concept how many people have suffered because of his work there?"

Hitomi remembered all the documentation that she'd seen while researching the Dragon Slayers all those months ago when she lived in the attic of Van's house. Because of Miguel's treachery, she had always been inclined to believe that a lot of the information she'd read had been tampered with by Miguel, so she couldn't say whether or not it was accurate. That made her tie up all those facts she'd learned and put them in a filing cabinet in her brain that was marked 'doubtful'. But the fact still remained that Van was right, Folken had been involved in a lot of really bad stuff from drug dealing to allowing Millerna and Kristy to be killed.

"I still don't want you to take your revenge out on him. It would bring a judgment down on you that you might not be able to escape from – and call me selfish, but I can't bear the idea of living the length of my life without you. I'll do anything to keep you safe. And don't you dare say to me that I don't love you! My love might not be exactly the way you want it, but it's there and it's real."

"So, tell me 'Tomi," Van said, once she was finished. "What do you plan to do about Folken? Technically, Chid has left this in your hands, so what do you want to do?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet. I wanted to talk to you. I don't even understand why this decision was given to me, and for some sad little reason, I'd like to understand that first. If I understood that much, then I feel like I could make my decision without worrying that I was somehow making the wrong choice."

"Well, you must be leaning one way or the other."

Hitomi hated to admit this, but she thought that she had better say what her true feelings were. If she wasn't honest with Van now, then they might misunderstand each other forever. "I'm inclined to let him go," she said, quietly.

Van narrowed his eyes and swore.

"Don't say another word!" she cried.

"Wasn't going to," he spat.

"I can't help it! I don't want to be responsible for someone's death. I'm a friggin' kid! I'm not a judge or a jury. I haven't heard his case, or anything! I don't have any experience with this sort of thing at all. My feelings tell me that something can be salvaged from all this. I feel like he's sorry for what he's done and that he wants a way out, but he can't find it. He can't find a way to give up his faults and start again. If he would promise me that he would disband the Zaibach group and start a new life then I would let him go."

"Is that so? And if he didn't change?"

"Then I guess I'd let Chid have him, but that hasn't happened yet. I want to deal with the present now. Don't you see? There is a chance for him to start again. Chid is going after Dornkirk tomorrow and once he's gone, then maybe Folken really can break free."

Van put his hand to his forehead. "You are so simple. You really think that this can all be solved by something so simple as killing his master when Folken has done everything he's done so that he could be the heir to the Zaibach Group? He'd probably thank you for taking care of the old man for him."

"You are too cynical," Hitomi said, squelching Van's reasoning. "Besides, I can't help the way I feel. So, what are you doing to do? You haven't given me an answer to my deal."

"You for Folken," Van said pensively. "It feels like blackmail. If I don't let Folken go, are you saying that you'll leave me?"

Hitomi gulped. It did look that way, didn't it? But if Van became a murderer then wouldn't he have a similar fate to Folken's? If Folken met with Chid, he would die. Does that mean that Van would die if he met Chid afterwards? Hitomi cleared her throat and said weakly. "The consequences might be more severe than that."

"Huh …" Van said. His eyes were downcast, and Hitomi couldn't see his exact expression. Then he turned his face away from her and walked towards the fountain. He sat down on the cement lip and put his hand in the water. For a moment, he didn't speak, but Hitomi waited for him to find the words he was looking for. "I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can forgive Folken. The understanding I got from Chid was that it didn't matter if I was the one to kill Folken or not, it was all meaningless if I couldn't find it in my heart to let it go. He said that the evils in my heart were just as dangerous as the evils in my hands." Van paused, "I don't know why, Hitomi, but when you told me that you would give me everything you had in exchange for Folken – it felt like my heart would break. You said you would fill all the gaps in my life and to me that includes the gap that was left when my mother was killed. She would definitely plead for Folken the way that you have. I know she loved him. She cried when he left, and the last time I saw her." His voice trembled and for an instant, Hitomi was sure that he was crying, but when he spoke again his voice was hard. "If all you want is for me to refrain from killing him myself, then I could probably do that if I knew that you were not going to get in the way of the punishment he deserves from Chid, but since it sounds like you plan to let him go – then I feel torn up inside, like I need to make a decision before that. I can't just sit here and do nothing. Since I'm going to be equally condemned for hating him as I would be if I stopped his heart myself, I may as well get the satisfaction."

"No, Van! Don't say that," Hitomi interrupted.

"Listen, I've got to think about this," he said, not turning to even glance at her. "And I've got to be alone in order to think properly."

She turned to leave, but she wanted to tell him something before she left. "Van, I wanted to tell you one more thing."

"Oh?"

"I'm sorry that I used your feelings for me as a tool to lock you up. As long as I live, I'll never do something like that again. You are my husband and I ought not to have done it. I won't offer up an excuse, because I wouldn't like to be treated that way either. I'm very sorry," she said, bowing slightly and then proceeding to the door.

"Hitomi," Van said, stopping her. "I have to tell you something, too."

"What is it?"

"I can't take you up on your deal, but I want to tell you why. You're right that I am missing a lot of things from my life, but I haven't noticed that they were not there when we have been together. The problem is that once we are separated, my problems resurface and I have to face them myself, anyway. Unfortunately, it is not in your power to fix me. Also," he said, and he sounded like he was keeping himself under the tightest control. It sounded like he was keeping himself from screaming. "I don't want to you to offer yourself to me for Folken's sake. It disgusts me because it makes it seem like you care enough for him to give yourself to me, but … I know that that's not what you meant when you thought it up. Just never mention it to me again. I only want you to give yourself to me if you want to – like when we got married. I didn't want your father to give you to me – I want you to come to me."

Hitomi swallowed and couldn't find a voice to say anything. It was at times like this that she was certain they were meant for each other. She loved him so much!

"I always thought that had already happened," he went on, "but what you've said tonight makes me think that there is a part of you that you are holding back. Well, I'll see if it's possible to me to become the kind of man who deserves all your love and not just portions." Then he paused. "You'd better leave now, Hitomi. Please forgive me if it turns out to be impossible for me to be that man."

* * *

Author's Notes: First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reviews. I really appreciate it. It makes me feel all warm and cozy and MOTIVATED. Thank you! You rock my little world. Also, I have Kaytala back as a beta reader now. Big smiles and hugs and love for her! Also, I'll go set up the forum now. Cheers! 


	20. A Breath of Air

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**A Breath of Air**

Hitomi walked away from the training gym feeling miserable. Van was stubborn! 'Oh well,' she thought grimly, 'At least he's honest about it.' She couldn't bring herself to think bad thoughts about him. She was too overcome by the passion of his personality to do much more than walk. He was so intense that she felt like she was burning. Whether this turned out the way she wanted it to or not … Van was amazing to her! Even when he was wrong – he was still amazing.

Hitomi was passing through part of the main house when she saw a light coming from Dryden's study. She couldn't believe he was still awake. It was late and she needed to get some sleep herself, but who could sleep after a conversation like that? Not only that, but she hadn't had the chance to speak with Dryden since he got back and she wanted to talk to him, so she tiptoed up to the entrance.

"Hi Dryden," Hitomi said as she entered the dimly lit room.

Dryden lifted his head from the glare of his computer screen and looked at Hitomi. "Oh, hello," he said, picking up his glasses and putting them on. It was interesting to see him without them. This was one of the first times. He looked tired.

"Why are you still awake?" she asked, approaching the desk and picking up a post-it pad. "Are you having more problems with your corporation?"

"My corporation? Oh, them. Aw, well, the board is still pissed off with me, but my mother stood up for me when she came to meet me in Madrid. Once The Sun God was involved, she said that the wishes of the company were second to my role as a Tarot user and took it upon herself to tell them off. It wasn't much, but it didn't have to be. She owns a lot of shares and since she generally just lets them do whatever they want, they listen to her when she makes requests."

"Well, then why wasn't she standing up for you earlier?" Hitomi asked, setting the booklet back down.

"Most the time she can't be bothered with my petty problems. She thinks I'm a man and should be able to take care of myself. She only stands up for me when I've tried my hardest to make things work and things still aren't playing out right."

"Hm … like with Naria and Eriya?" Hitomi questioned, thinking that she heard him say that his mother had stood up for him then, too.

Dryden looked thoughtful. "That was for their protection, not mine."

"Huh?" Hitomi asked, confused. She thought that it had definitely been the other way around. Hadn't they been hounding Dryden?

Dryden leaned back in his chair and shrugged his shoulders.

"Why would that have been for _their_ protection?" Hitomi asked.

Dryden turned and absently flipped a page on his desk. "So, what do you think of The Sun God? I wanted to wait until we were alone before I asked you your impression of him."

"Well, I'd met him before. He was living at Van's house when I moved in."

"Yeah, Van said that."

"Back then, I didn't get any special feeling from him. I just thought he was an ordinary kid. I was completely fooled by him," Hitomi admitted.

"Naturally," Dryden conceded. "You would have been incredible if you had sensed anything. I meant, now that you've met him as a Tarot user?"

"Hmm … I'm not sure. But you knew who he was all along, didn't you? That's why you were afraid of him. You were worried what he might think of you. I don't understand why you would tense up about it. You are an absolute angel! You couldn't have anything to fret about," Hitomi said, thinking of all the times Dryden had supported her and Van.

"You think I'm an angel?" Dryden asked, glancing at her. Then he started scribbling something on the back of one of the pages he'd been working on before dropping the pen and looking at her more intently. "Oh Kanzaki," he breathed, using his pet name for her that he only used in extremely intimate moments between them. "If we talk about that, I'm afraid that I'll destroy any pretty little ideas you might have about me. You might believe somewhere in your gentle heart that I'm a good guy deep down inside and if I tell you the truth about me, I won't be able to take it back. I think I want to stay a good person in your eyes. Right now, yours are about the only eyes that don't seem to look down on me for misbehaviour. Even when we were in school and you say you thought that I was a man-whore, you still didn't look down on me the way you would if I told you the truth about myself. Because you don't know all about me, there's no discriminating witness in you. I kind of like that. I don't think I want to tell you." He wasn't looking at her. His hair was not tied in the usual ponytail and his hair was falling casually around his shoulders. There was a thick silver chain around his neck that fell under his shirt. But it was the expression on his face that caused Hitomi to worry; he somehow looked defenseless – like he was in trouble.

"How do you know I'd be hard on you, even if you told me everything?" she asked gently. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to confide in her, but she knew that even if he didn't tell her about himself, she had to let him know that she wouldn't judge him, no matter what he had done.

"I know you wouldn't be hard on me." Dryden smiled an odd half smile and peeked at Hitomi over the rims of his glasses. "But throwing myself on your mercy would make me feel like the penance I've served has been worthless when I could have just cried on your lap to begin with."

"Why would you need forgiveness from me?" Hitomi said, not understanding what he meant by that comment.

Here, he abruptly frowned. "I also couldn't let you carry my burdens. I'm supposed to be the one helping you."

"I'm not begging you to tell me," Hitomi said tartly. "I only wanted you to know that even if I were to find out everything about you, I still wouldn't think worse of you, or forbid you to be my friend. You have been a spectacular friend to me, Dryden. And I won't let you walk around thinking that our friendship is conditional. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. If you like the way I look at you now, then I'll look at you like this forever if that's the way you want it."

"Even if you find out about me from another source?"

"Even then," Hitomi promised earnestly.

Dryden looked at her, as if gauging her fortitude, and then, he said slowly and humbly, "Then I would beg you to listen to my story." He beckoned for her to sit in one of the chairs.

She sat and looked into his face.

"So, I'm The Lover and I came into my powers at the age of seven. I can tell you right now that that's not a good thing. I have many wholesome qualities and natural attributes that help me understand people and to love them no matter what sort they are. I know that's mostly what you've seen in me. I've almost tried to hide the other half of my personality from you, though it's impossible. At least, I've tried to shield you from the reality of it." He paused, and the expression on his face let Hitomi know he was having a hard time speaking. "The truth is that you were right the first time you saw me. I am the whore you thought I was."

Hitomi didn't blink. She hated to tell him that she was disappointed in his confession. She thought it was going to be something far more interesting than this. She already knew that he was loose. "It can't be that bad. You told me before that you never got anyone pregnant."

Dryden gulped. "Well, normally Tarot users do not have the ability have children with people who are not also Tarot users. My mother believes that I am an exception to this rule, and that it may be possible for me to have children with an ordinary human. However, if possible, I would rather not discuss this portion of my history with you. I took very careful precautions to ensure that I would not get anyone pregnant. It is horrible enough to get a girl pregnant when that's not your intent, but to have the child be a Tarot user would be much worse. So, I was painstakingly careful, but like I said, I'd rather not discuss it in detail. Is that okay with you?"

"I'm sure I'd rather not hear the details," Hitomi said eagerly, waiting for the rest of his story.

"Thank you," he said, before he sat up and continued. "To tell you the absolute truth, before I met Selphie, I have no clue how many women I slept with," Dryden said ruthlessly. He watched Hitomi carefully to see her reaction.

Here Hitomi didn't just blink, but she gaped. At first, she couldn't even speak. "No idea at all?" she finally whispered.

"Well a vague idea … vague," he said, finally turning his face away in scarlet shame.

"You'd do it with anyone?" Hitomi asked through chapped lips.

"Sorry, Hitomi," he said, looking downcast and disgraced. "It must have been something like that. I think I was behaving like an animal and just went where my nose took me – to anyone who needed a lover that night."

"Did you get paid?" she asked, still feeling sick. Hitomi couldn't imagine doing what she did with Van with just anyone. How could someone live like that?

"That would have been against what I was trying to do. I would see a lonely, lost, needing little woman and I would feel like I should be the one to take care of her. At least, until it was time to move on. Sometimes I'd stay for a month, sometimes a week, sometimes less than a few hours. I didn't settle down and decide on one girlfriend because I used to travel with my mother when I was growing up. I'm not really interested in explaining the details about this either. The short version was simply that I was always meeting new women and always making them feel better … at least I thought I was making them feel better … and I never saw what happened to them after I disappeared, because I was gone." He paused. Hitomi didn't think that this was how most young men talked about their exploits. These didn't sound like exploits to Dryden, but instead it seemed more like he regarded them as crimes. "I don't know what I thought I was doing. I must have thought that there was nothing wrong with sleeping around like that."

"Didn't your mother notice what you were doing? Didn't she care?" Hitomi asked, thinking of how her own father would have hit the ceiling if he even suspected her of impropriety.

When he continued, his voice was dryer than his name. "Well, I kept it a secret from her as long as I could, but eventually she found out about the kinds of things I had been doing. Once she found out, she didn't like it at all. She used to beat me when I got to the hotel room after one of these 'adventures'. She knew just by looking at me that I had been fooling around."

"Did that stop you from doing it?"

"Sometimes … mostly when I was a younger teenager," Dryden answered gloomily. "I didn't like being beaten and I didn't like being with my mother when she was angry with me. As long as I lived with her I tried my best not to do anything unless it was worth suffering child abuse over and living with a cranky parent for months afterwards. You'd be surprised at how often that kept me behaving properly. But then, finally, after I'd been good for an extremely long stretch, I asked to live apart from her. I told her I was weary of traveling and I wanted to settle down in one place. At first, she didn't trust me. It was only after I dragged my heels one time too many that she agreed and left me alone in an air port terminal."

"Was that okay?" Hitomi asked, concerned for his safety.

"Well, yeah. I was eighteen, and I was old enough to be living away from my mother. We were starting to cramp each other's styles. She left me in Italy, so I just walked out of the airport, found a place that I liked, bought it, and settled down."

"And …?"

"And naturally, I had five women hanging off me at my new place before nightfall. That's my villa. I couldn't help myself now that my mother wasn't around to check up on my behaviour and I'd slept with all of them by the end of the week. So, since I wasn't being watched, I finally got to do exactly what I wanted."

"I can't imagine," Hitomi said.

"Don't try," he advised sourly. "Besides being extremely promiscuous, this was also the first time I had to face up to some of the consequences of living like that. I had no plans to leave my villa, so I had to deal with the angry females who learned that I hadn't been faithful to them. Sometimes I could convince them not to be angry with me, but most of them wanted a lifetime with me as my wife or something like that. Most of these girls were little better than table decorations, and I refused to commit to them."

"Yeah, I can see why some of them wouldn't take that nicely," Hitomi said, feeling bluer than she expected. This wasn't turning out to be a good story.

Dryden sighed, "For the first time in my life I learned exactly what I had been doing. I had been using them. All those girls I thought I was helping, I was actually ruining. I had no idea. I just got so caught up in the moment that I could never even picture what would happen afterwards or how I would affect the women I met. I seriously thought that as long as no one got pregnant, it didn't matter and I could do whatever I wanted. What a lie! I was a fool. I was a heartbreaker in the worst sense of the word. You have no idea how much damage I did, and the reputation I had. I can't even explain it to you. My name was the blackest swearword among women. You have no idea how far some of them went to get their revenge on me. I had death threats, my villa was broken into several times and my property vandalized. One girl sunk my yacht. I was on a first name basis with the local police, incidents were happening so often. But the worst one was a reporter I dated. She was particularly angry with me and started a column in the paper about my dating escapades and broadcast who I was dating to the whole area as well as warned everyone what trouble I was. It wasn't long after that that the whole city seemed to know that I was a player, and the women available to me got fewer and fewer, until I was stuck hanging out with … guys! Guys! Can you imagine?" Here Hitomi wasn't sure, but she thought that Dryden looked faint. "That was also around the time I decided to work for my father's corporation. I needed something to do, and I wouldn't leave now that I'd finally found a place to live. Plus, I didn't think that things would turn out differently anywhere else, so there was no point to running away," he paused. "Actually, working was more fulfilling than I expected. It was really fun to get things accomplished and to do things that no one else had been able to do. And, as an added bonus, my mother was actually proud of me, which was something I was seldom able to accomplish. She was always the one person who knew what I really was."

"So, you …"

"So even though I was successful, I still was just a skirt chaser, and what was more – I hate hurting people, and I was doing it ALL THE TIME. But even though I felt this way, I didn't get up the nerve to change myself until I met Selphie. There's no way you could have missed how absolutely ravishing that woman is …"

"Please don't elaborate," Hitomi asked, colouring. "She's my friend."

Dryden nodded understandingly and continued, but when he spoke of Selphie, his face lit up and all his blues seemed to fly away. "When I met her she was the fiancé of one of my subordinates."

"Did you steal her away?"

The colour seemed to leak out of his face. "Not exactly. We were at a party when I first I saw her and I just couldn't stop looking at her. I knew that if there was any woman in this world that was meant for me, then it had to be her. She is so gentle. She's afraid of small things, like spiders and boating at night. I saw her and instantly I wanted to take her home and make her my whole world. That moment really changed everything for me. It was like lightning. Now normally, it doesn't take much for me to convince a woman that she should take me home with her or that she should come home with me. Normally, it doesn't take anything beyond buying her a drink and asking her, but when I went up to Selphie and asked her if I could get her a drink, she told me that she didn't drink and that she was there with her fiancé."

"What a blow to your ego!" Hitomi commented, finally feeling like she'd gotten past the grossest part of his story.

"What? I wasn't put down at all. I was intrigued. A woman who could resist my charms was one that I needed to examine more carefully, so I tried harder. She wasn't married yet, and though I wouldn't directly interfere with her engagement, I was definitely going to try to steal her for myself. So, I asked to see her engagement ring."

"Was it nice?"

"It was boring. A diamond solitaire set in white gold. I told her I thought it was lovely, but that it couldn't possibly be her dream set. What stone did she really like? She told me that her favourite stone was a pink sapphire. She explained the cut she liked and under my interested gaze she told me everything about it. I didn't know if such an item was available anywhere on this earth, but I arranged to have the exact piece made by a jeweler that night."

"You didn't!"

"No, I did," Dryden said, looking excited. "I didn't leave the party that night without making the necessary arrangements. I can't explain to you how badly I wanted her, and how much more interested I was because I couldn't have her."

"What was your next step?" Hitomi asked, actually getting into his story. It was exciting.

"Next, I had a dinner party at my home at which I invited all my assistants and their partners. For my date, I asked a model we'd recently had pose for one of our layouts. She seemed interested, so she came, and she looked good, but not a tenth as good as Selphie. I learned more about Selphie at the party as well. I found out that she was a fantastic swimmer and had almost made the Olympic team, had done modeling and was almost finished a degree in fine arts. I was dazzled by her. She seemed to light up the whole room and astound me."

"Was your date happy with you paying so much attention to another woman?"

Dryden smiled. "Oh yes. I didn't neglect my date. Besides, listening intently to everything possible about Selphie, I was also trying to raise her opinion of me. If I had a date like that, and if I treated her well, Selphie would notice what a gentleman I am."

"Did she notice?"

"Yeah, she seemed to notice. Except that it wasn't in a good way. She noticed what I was like, my home, my date, my behaviour, but she didn't seem interested in me. She seemed shy and almost afraid of me. I didn't know how to interpret her. All women loved me."

"I didn't like you like that," Hitomi said, feeling that his ego must be running away with him.

"Yeah, because you were already with Van. I told you already that she had a fiancé, and I can tell who's with who, but with Selphie – I couldn't tell where her heart lay at all. I couldn't tell if she loved her man, or if she was thinking of making a trade, or anything. It was most disconcerting. The next thing I did, was I 'accidentally' met her as she was coming out of one of her favourite art studios and begged her to let me take her for lunch."

"How did that go?"

"It didn't go well at all. She agreed to come but only after extreme protests. When we were at the table I asked her what the problem was. The outing was totally innocent. She looked at me and she whispered, 'If someone sees us, there's no way they'll think that it's totally innocent. They'll think we're having an affair.' I laughed at her. I know I shouldn't have, but, yeah, they'd think we were having an affair. I wanted them to think that. I wanted to cause trouble with her and her fiancé and make her want me instead, so I downplayed it and I told her that I would take responsibility if a rumour like that came out."

"Were you really going to?" Hitomi asked skeptically.

"Yes. I had every intention of taking care of it if something like that really did happen, but the damage will have already been done."

"You're evil!" Hitomi quaked. She couldn't believe he would go to such lengths for a woman. "How did you possibly end up with her?"

"Well, I went to go see her often after that. I made time to be with her and took her out (when she would let me), gave her presents, made a fuss over her, and basically treated her like she hung my moon."

"Did it work?"

"No, she still believed that I was a skirt-chaser. But another black tie company party came up where I decided to go stag in order to show her my devotion to her, and something very lucky happened."

"What?"

"I was standing by Selphie, obviously cutting in on her date with Boyo when one of my other assistants came up to me. This one was a woman in her thirties who told me that she'd hurt her ankle coming in and she was just coming to bid me goodnight before she went home to nurse it. I set her down on a chair and had a look at it. She was right – she had really twisted it. So, I had her stay put while I went and got a first-aid kit. Then I wrapped it up and took her home myself. Honestly, in my compassion for Constance, I forgot all about Selphie and that I was supposed to be butting in on her date. I completely forgot."

"What did she think? Did you find out afterwards?"

"Yep! She was so moved by my action that she decided she wanted to look for a different husband."

"So you got her?"

"No!" Dryden said, looking annoyed. "She decided that she liked that one part of me and that she wanted to find a man who was like that, but I was still not the man for her. She still met with me and I had been upgraded to 'friend' status, but there was no way she'd date me seriously because she still believed that I was a player who would sleep with anyone. But she did break off her engagement. So, I felt like that was progress. I invited her on formal dates and she wouldn't come. She wouldn't use lame excuses, but she'd let me know each time that she wasn't going to choose me and that I might as well give up."

"And she _chose_ to come with you when you left Italy to come after Van and I? Really? Are you sure you didn't tie her up and gag her?"

"Har har. No, I didn't tie her up. I asked her if she wanted to come with me and she said 'yes', but I haven't come anywhere near that time."

"So what happened to get her to that place with you?"

"Well, I told you that I had that ring made for her. Well, it wasn't made overnight, even though I made the arrangements as soon as possible. When it came I took it and I went over to her flat. She was alone that night, watching T.V. and eating popcorn by herself. I sat on her living room floor with her and watched subtitled movies with her until I found the right moment to tell her that I got her a present. I flipped open the box and showed her the ring. I told her that it wasn't an engagement ring or a wedding ring, but it was a promise ring. I was promising that I'd make myself into the man she wanted. She didn't even have to wait for me if she didn't want to. I asked absolutely nothing from her, except her permission to allow me to love her forever – and to never love anyone else."

"You made that sort of promise?" Hitomi asked – staring.

"I wanted to be a good man for her, and this was the only way for me. She really didn't believe that I could be that guy, but I worked hard. Slowly, things started to cool off. My little reporter friend stopped writing her column after there was no good news about me for a few months. I guess she found something else to write about. I wasn't sleeping around, so I wasn't finding cross girls on my doorstep anymore. I was excelling professionally and slowly my black reputation was slipping to grey – though it isn't white yet. You know, it almost doesn't matter how good I am, someone will always remember me for what I've done. Just walking down the street I run into a handful of girls who have had bad experiences with me, so I'll never be squeaky white. I even apologize now for being a jerk. That was Selphie's idea and it's worked out a lot better than I expected. Some are so happy to hear the apology that they cry and if Selphie's with me, then she cries, too. Their conversation goes something like, 'He was _such_ a jerk.' Then Selphie sobs, 'I know. _Such_ a jerk, but he's trying hard to be a good person now.' Then the first girl snivels again, 'He was _such_ a jerk!'"

Hitomi laughed at his impression of the girls. "And I'm sure that conversation makes you feel great."

"Oh, it makes me feel smashing." Dryden shook his head regretfully. "It makes me feel like I must be the worst person in the world, and it's been going on for years. It's been two years since I met Selphie. You see, this is the reason why I didn't want to meet The Sun God. I knew that if I met him he would know the truth about me and I knew that he wouldn't see it in the same forgiving light that Selphie does. She loves to see me improve and apologize again and again. Chid would see me for what I truly am. He would know if I'd really changed or not. So, call me crazy, but I didn't want to meet him until I was positive that I could look him in the eye and say, 'I've done what I could to correct my wrongs'. But with the way things were turning out with you and Van and the Dragon Slayers, I knew that I couldn't wait anymore and I had to do go see him. I had no idea what he would say when he saw me. I might have been blown to pieces by his judgment, or nothing might happen, or I might suffer for what I had done. I didn't know. But he laid his hand on my head and told me that I had changed …" Dryden stopped. Once again, he turned his face away from Hitomi and at first he didn't speak. He looked like he was fighting back tears. When he finally did, he sounded steady – like Van. "Chid says I should go meet him from time to time to make sure that I haven't reverted back. That way, I'll keep on doing good things and I won't get sucked into the ruts of my lesser self. And I can finally do what I've always wanted."

"What?" Hitomi asked shyly.

Dryden turned and looked at Hitomi with bloodshot eyes. "I can ask Selphie to marry me."

"Ah, so Van was right. She wanted to marry you and you have been hesitating," Hitomi blurted, not thinking about how bad it sounded.

Dryden smirked. "Yes, like that. I'm sorry, but I can't wait to see her. I'm flying to New York tomorrow. I've got to see her."

"You're going to get married?"

"As soon as possible," Dryden said firmly. "I would have left already, but I want to make sure that things go all right with the Devil tomorrow."

"Chid told you that we are going to judge him tomorrow?" Hitomi asked.

Dryden nodded. "I want to support you. If you need me to stay longer, I—"

"Don't even think about it!" Hitomi said firmly. "No matter what happens, you should go and be with Selphie. If I have to, I'll order you. She needs you and I have Van so …" Hitomi trailed off.

"Do you?" Dryden asked firmly.

Hitomi put a hand to her mouth and looked at the ceiling. "What am I going to do if he doesn't pull through this? I can't even think."

"Hitomi," Van said, entering the room and talking to her like he hadn't heard their conversation. He looked bad. His hair and clothes were wet and he was shaking. Had he gotten under the fountain? "I'm going to have a bath. You should come to bed. Tomorrow is a big day." Then he turned around and left the room like he couldn't wait for her to get up and follow him. He was trembling from the cold.

"Congratulations Dryden," Hitomi said, rushing after Van. "Sorry, I have to go."

"I understand, Kanzaki," Dryden said, waving to her as she chased after Van.

'This might be the last time I get to be with him,' Hitomi thought tearfully as she chased after the Dragon.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hi Kids! I would have updated sooner, except that here was having a little trouble with high traffic, so I didn't get to upload until now. Okay, so onto my real notes. This chapter is the last chapter I'm doing before we break into the big climax. There are a couple of reasons why this chapter is here instead of after the climax. For one thing - this story has been pretty intense for awhile so we could use something to lighten the mood a little bit (hence the title). The second reason is that there is simply no room for it after the climax. 

There are only four chapters left after this one as well. Thank you to Kaytala for beta reading and to everyone who reviews and comes to the forum (which I will be setting up in a moment). And anyone who writes me a long review and thinks they are bothering me - think again. Part of the reason I do this is to receive feedback - so I really mean it when I say that I LOVE YOU GUYS! I'll say it again - I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Okay, so Chapter Twenty One - Devil's Last Day

Look forward to it!


	21. Devil's Last Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Devil's Last Day**

Hitomi stood in the front hall of Dryden's mansion and waited for the chauffer to pull the car around to the front. It was exactly nine-thirty in the morning.

She was freezing even though she hadn't gone outside yet. It was a chilly day. It was the first of December. The house was warm, but Hitomi felt cold through to her bones. Nothing seemed to help. She had put on a long-sleeved shirt and then a short-sleeved shirt over top, which was usually a winning combination for keeping warm, but this morning it just wasn't doing anything for her. Her heart felt like lead, and her insides felt like ice.

Chid was in the hall waiting with her, too. He looked relaxed. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a grey trench coat over a pair of baggy jeans. He slid on a pair of black suede gloves and waited patiently for Hitomi to put her boots on. He was even smiling.

Hitomi didn't understand his attitude. "Is it true that you naturally have a cheerful disposition?" she asked lamely as she tried to rub away the sleepy bags under her eyes.

"Yep!" he said happily. "Even this early in the morning."

"Isn't that great for you?" she said dryly as she stood up.

Chid put on a pair of dark sunglasses. They were circular with silver frames. He really did look like a model as he stood in front of the window watching for the car. "It's here," he said at last. "Is Van coming to say good-bye to you? Should we wait another minute for him to come down?"

"No," Hitomi said, putting her own gloves on. This was definitely the reason why her blood felt frigid. "He isn't coming down. He was gone when I got up this morning."

"Did he tell you where he was going?"

Hitomi frowned and shook her head.

"He didn't leave a note or anything?"

"No. He didn't," Hitomi said slowly.

"You checked your room properly to make sure he didn't leave you a message?" Chid persisted.

"Yes!" Hitomi exclaimed, almost losing her patience. She knew what it meant. It meant that Van had left before them and had probably gone to the stadium ahead of them. Hitomi still had no idea what Van planned to do. She had been hoping that he had made up his mind for the better since he soaked in the tub for hours after she came to bed as well as drenching himself beforehand in the fountain in the training gym. She knew he was trying to gain wisdom, but she was none the wiser about his choice when he finally came to bed. She had no clue what he was going to do. She didn't even ask. She didn't want to know.

Chid opened the front door for Hitomi and said mildly, "Shall we go, then?"

"Aren't you worried," she asked him as they stood together at the top of the frost-covered stairs.

"About Van?" Chid asked. He and Hitomi were nearly the same height. Their eyes were perfectly level as he said to her, "Of course I'm worried about Van."

"Do you know what he's going to do?" she questioned nervously. Even still, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

He shook his head in the negative. "I don't know."

The chauffer came around and opened the back door to the SUV for Hitomi and Chid. At first, Hitomi thought that he was just the regular driver, and she was startled when Dryden tipped his cap at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound light.

Dryden smiled and said, "I couldn't send one of my servants to take The Sun God when he goes to punish a Tarot user. I don't even let them clean the training gym. Besides, I wouldn't send any of them to such a dangerous place as a Dragon Slayer stadium," Dryden said as if he were trying to stay positive. But then the expression on his face changed and he said, "Hey, you two look like twins."

"Twins?" Hitomi asked, looking at Chid. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like you're about the same age, and about the same height. Your colouring is different, but your features are similar. You really look like you're related," Dryden observed.

Hitomi looked at Chid. He was smiling pleasantly at her and Hitomi wasn't sure if he agreed or disagreed with what Dryden just said. "Do you think we look alike?" she asked him.

Chid smiled. "We are more alike than you realize."

Hitomi stared. How could they be alike? The idea was terrifying to her. He was the Judgment Card. He had to be totally ruthless in exacting judgment for crimes. She didn't like to see anyone suffer. How could they be alike?

"We're wasting time," Chid reminded Dryden and he moved aside to make room for Hitomi to get into the back seat.

Chid got in after her.

There was a moment in which they were alone in the SUV while they waited for Dryden to get into the driver's seat.

"Don't be afraid of me, Hitomi. There is nothing to be afraid of," Chid said, taking hold of Hitomi's hand and looking into her eyes. "There are many things to be afraid of, but I promise you, I am not one of them. You'll see."

Then he let go of her and Dryden opened the car door.

"Let's get going," Chid said as if he were trying to speed their way.

Hitomi sat there and looked at The Sun God as Dryden moved the vehicle down the driveway and onto the main road. He still looked like a boy of fifteen. He still looked like the perfect picture of light; like an angel, like a model, like a hero. She wasn't afraid for herself, but what would happen to Dornkirk once they got there? Was Chid really going to kill him? Hitomi was so young and she didn't favour the idea of going to kill anyone. It seemed so wrong to just go out one morning to deliberately commit murder. And she was going with him! Did that make her an accomplice?

She groaned and looked out at the passing traffic. This was going to be the worst day of her life.

* * *

Dryden pulled the SUV up in front of the stadium. Hitomi saw Van's convertible parked near the doors. He had definitely come to the stadium.

"Van," she whispered with her nose almost against the glass.

"Are you ready, Hitomi?" Chid asked, interrupting her reverie. He took off his seatbelt and removed his gloves.

"I don't know," Hitomi fumbled.

Chid turned his body towards hers and took her hands in his. Hitomi didn't think that his height had changed, but suddenly he seemed very little like the teenage boy who had just been sitting beside her. Now he acted and spoke like a man, his accent coming through very clearly, "Take off your coat. It will only hinder you once we get inside."

"Are you going to take yours off, too?" she asked Chid, looking to see if Dryden was paying attention to their conversation. He was staring straight ahead of him like he heard nothing.

"Yes," Chid answered. "It's going to be hot inside, and there may be some fighting. Listen to me very carefully, Hitomi," he said looking hard into her green eyes with his blue ones. "You absolutely cannot transform into anyone once we get inside. I will explain afterwards why you mustn't do it, but it is one hundred percent imperative that you remain as yourself – the Goddess of the Moon. Do you understand me?"

Hitomi nodded.

Chid took off his trench coat and waited patiently for Hitomi to take her coat and gloves off as well.

"Let's go," he said, lacing the fingers of his left hand with those of her right hand. "This is going to be one terrible rush. Don't let go of my hand until I say that it's okay."

"But Van wouldn't like that … I shouldn't be holding someone else's hand other than my husband's," she protested.

Chid abruptly let go. "Sorry," he said. "I forgot that it might be uncomfortable for a married woman. You've let me touch you lots of times, so it must have slipped my mind. I apologize if I've made you uneasy. And I set out with such good intentions of respecting your contract. How odd," he reflected as he reached for the door handle. "Just stay close to me then. Okay?"

"Okay," she said.

They got out of the SUV together. However, Hitomi noticed that Chid placed his sunglasses on the tip of his nose and left them there.

The air was cold and the snow crunched under Hitomi's feet. Chid waited for Hitomi to hurry up behind him and then he strode up to the front doors. Now there was nothing about him that was nice, except perhaps the way his blond hair fell on the back of his neck. He put out his hand and knocked on the door hard with his knuckles. He waited for an answer, but no one answered the first time. He knocked again and an intercom voice answered, "May I help you?" Hitomi wasn't sure, but she thought that the guard sounded drunk.

"My name is Chid, and I'm here to see Dornkirk. I think he's expecting me," Chid said steadily.  
The voice on the other end laughed. "Sorry, he has no appointments this morning, so piss off!" Then the intercom bleeped to signal the lost connection.

Chid rolled his eyes. "I knew they'd be difficult, but I'll give one more shot at diplomacy before I blow the doors off." So, he knocked on the door again.

The static laced voice came through the intercom again. "I said piss off!" the voice shouted.

Chid frowned and turning he said to Hitomi, "Too bad I don't have time to mess around with these monkeys. We have to get to work. It's already ten-thirty. Oh, but one more thing – did you warn Folken that I was coming?"

"No," she admitted. "I was waiting for Van to tell me what he decided, but Van left, so I haven't talked to Folken."

Chid nodded approvingly. "You were wise to have waited, because of Van. Good thing we came early. Don't forget, I'll make sure to make it to Folken by eleven-thirty if you decide that you want to save him."

"What if Van makes it to him first?" Hitomi asked fearfully.

"I don't know. We'll see what has happened when we get there. First off, we need to take care of Dornkirk." Then Chid took a couple steps away from the door.

What was he going to do? Hitomi rushed behind him so that she wouldn't be caught in the blast. The Sun God was supposed to be proficient with fire. This was going to get rowdy.

Chid took in a deep breath. When he exhaled the air around him seemed to be become smoke. Then he extended his right hand and drew an imaginary square with his index finger. Hitomi saw that he was frying the outline of the door. A heavy black outline was burning though the metal like Chid was using a blowtorch. Once the hinges were torched and the locks at the top and bottom of the door were gone, Chid stepped up and kicked the door in. He didn't even kick hard and they fell like two stone tablets at his feet. His work was so much cleaner than anything she'd seen Van do with fire thus far.

Then Chid turned around and indicated for Hitomi to hurry up and follow him.

Two Dragon Slayer guards approached them and tried to stop them as they came through the atrium and into the main hall. Hitomi recognized one of them as Dallet, the Dragon Slayer who carried her up to Folken's office the night before.

"What are you doing?" he yelled. "You can't just come in here."

Chid ignored them and instead turned his head slightly to ask Hitomi, "Where's the Devil?"

Hitomi was about to answer with: "How the heck should I know?" when suddenly, she _did_ know. She was standing there in the middle of the empty stadium atrium and she knew that Dornkirk was sitting in an office in the basement. He had a circular magnifying glass strapped to his head and he was leaning over something that he was studying. How did she know that? "He's downstairs," she answered, feeling strange – unworldly.

"Excellent," Chid said, praising her without a touch of warmth in his voice. "Now, you two," he said, speaking to Dallet and the guy who was with him. "Get out of my way."

"Or what?" the other Dragon Slayer asked mockingly, like he couldn't be afraid of what a fifteen year old would do.

Chid didn't smile or even smirk. He just said in the coldest voice imaginable, "Or you'll find out that I'm the type of guy who scares the hell out of your men, like your master."

"What master?" the young man scoffed.

"Let's get out of their way," Dallet said, grabbing his friend by the sleeve.

Chid didn't even nod, instead he just proceeded towards the stairwell. Hitomi stumbled after him. Her vision was strange. She couldn't see straight. Out of her right eye she could see the walls of the stadium and Chid's back as he continued onwards. Out of her left eye she could still see Dornkirk bending over something. He had instruments in his fingers. He was either taking something apart or putting something back together, but Hitomi couldn't see very well.

However, because she was slow, she heard Dallet and his friend talking.

"Why did you make us pull out? They were just a couple of kids. They wouldn't have been hard to take out."

Dallet sighed and answered, "As for that girl, don't you recognize her? She was the girl Folken fought last night. Didn't you see her?" The other guy didn't answer and Dallet continued. "I know she's someone important to Folken. I don't exactly understand it, but I carried her up to his office last night. We'd better not mess with her. I don't want to piss Folken off. As for that guy – didn't you feel his chi?"

"Chi? You believe in that sort of thing?"

"Aura – whatever. He's a cold-blooded one. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a real, live, murderer."

"He's just a kid."

"My ass he's just a kid."

"I'm going after them!" the first boy stated, and Hitomi could hear his footfalls coming closer.

"Your funeral!" Dallet said as he walked away.

Then the other boy seemed to think twice.

Chid opened the door to the stairwell and held it open for Hitomi. She stepped in and held onto the railing tightly as she walked down the staircase with Chid.

The lower level of the stadium was a network of small rooms that surrounded the dug out portion of the stadium's construction. There wasn't even one corridor that led to all of them.

"Which room is the Devil in?" Chid asked again.

Hitomi's left eye was acting funny. She was almost dizzy as she looked down one length of hallway. When she looked the other way, her vision came into focus. That had to be the right way.

"That way," she said, pointing.

"Good," he complimented, even though his voice still sounded cold.

After that, it was easy for her to find the way; although, Dornkirk had hidden this room in the very deepest part of the lower level.

And they weren't alone. There were Dragon Slayers all over the place. Some of them were lying unconscious in the hallways, and some were wandering around like they had no idea where they were. They found several still drinking and a couple experimenting with injection drugs. Hitomi had no idea this was such a terrifying place. She had always known that the Dragon Slayers were involved with substance abuse, but seeing it was completely different than just thinking about it at Dryden's mansion.

"It was the same when I was here before. That's why I wanted you to hold my hand," Chid said, not offering her his hand, but walking steadily, like he didn't see them.

"I didn't think you were hitting on me," Hitomi said, grabbing his hand. "You're my brother aren't you?" she asked.

Chid smiled.

"If you're my brother then it's okay for me to hold your hand when I'm this afraid," she said, hanging onto his arm. She also needed him to lead her, so she wouldn't trip over anything. Her vision was still strange.

Chid squeezed her hand and continued pressing forward. "Then I'll be your brother."

Hitomi didn't exactly feel reassured as he said those words. He had to be a good person. Somehow, he had to be a good person too. He hadn't let those Dragon Slayers gang rape Eries. He had prevented it. He was standing up for what was right, wasn't he?

Hitomi and Chid had to go down another set of stairs in order to find the room Dornkirk was hiding in.

"He's in there," Hitomi finally said as they stood outside the last door. She could see him through her left eye. She knew it as clearly as if the door had been transparent.

"Are you ready?" Chid asked her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"It's what we're going to do together. You will see," he said, opening the door and stepping in ahead of her.

When Hitomi came in and saw the rest of her vision of Dornkirk she almost turned and fled out of the room, but Chid held onto her.

"You must face this," he said steadily, turning her towards the table Dornkirk was working at. "You must understand the reason for my existence. You mustn't be afraid of me. You must understand why I am a necessity. Open your eyes, Hitomi, and face this!"

To Hitomi, Chid's request for her to open her eyes was like pausing a horror movie at the most frightening part and making her watch every moment of it – except this was a hundred times worse. When Hitomi opened her eyes, she knew what she would see. The thing Dornkirk was studying on the table was a person. It was a person who was clearly dead. Hitomi knew just by looking at the half-naked frame of a young boy that he had died in the motorcycle races the night before and she might have been mistaken, but she thought that it was the boy who won the races the night she had been tied to the dartboard. The pale hair was now in bloody chunks on the floor and the locks looked the same as that boy's – Guimel's. She had a memory of him jumping all over the place, so excited that he had won the last tournament. Now she was positive that it was him, even though his face was cut open. Dornkirk was taking apart his head, piece by piece, and Hitomi was hardly able to look at him. Snippets of red flesh lay on the white polished floor. She thought she would faint or throw up, but Chid started shaking her.

"Pull it together, Hitomi! Don't weaken. This is what you were meant for. This is the reason you were born into the Tarot user world. You have to see what he's done!" Chid shouted rousing her from her frozen state.

Dornkirk was sitting in a wheel chair and when Chid yelled that, he seemed to notice for the first time that someone had come into the room. First, he took off his magnifying glass. Then he flipped a switch on the armrest of his chair and backed it away from the table.

"You've finally come," he said, examining Chid weakly – almost like he didn't care. "I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

Hitomi looked up and saw the old man more clearly now. He was very old, and it was clear that his eyesight was bad. His hair had long since been grey and was now very white.

"What have you been doing?" Chid asked Dornkirk severely, but Dornkirk didn't answer.

He only smirked.

Chid didn't speak to Dornkirk again, but instead tried speaking to Hitomi. He had both his hands on either side of her shoulders and he was yelling into her ear. "What has he done? What has he done in the past?"

Hitomi didn't want to know what he had done in the past. She didn't want to know at all, but when Chid asked her, images of the past started to appear in her left eye. It didn't matter if she closed her eyes to shut the pictures out or kept them wide open, she saw them just the same. Visions – Dryden said she would have visions. But what did visions mean if they didn't have a purpose? What was the purpose of seeing the past if it didn't play into the future? That was why she was here – to tell Chid exactly what Dornkirk had done. Chid was asking her to fulfill her role.

"I see …" Hitomi started, her eyes flooding with boiling tears of things she never wanted to know. "I see him … blood. I see blood. He really did kill his parents." Hitomi saw the bloodied metal that he used to stop their hearts. "He built this syndicate on the blood and money of addicted children," she said, finding it hard to voice exactly what she saw. It was too horrible to say exactly what he had done, but then a whole different avenue of his sins was opened to her view. "He was trying to find a way to extend his own life as well as make more Tarot users. He bled Van and now he's using his blood to keep him alive. He's too sick to survive without it. He gave Folken Dilandau's blood to keep him quiet. He hasn't given Folken any more than one quarter unit of Van's blood." She was breaking down. That was why Folken hadn't finished healing – he hadn't truly been given Van's blood after all. Apparently, it was only enough to close his wounds. Hitomi couldn't think about this. She was breaking down. She was falling on the floor.

"Interesting," Dornkirk said slowly, like he was surprised by what Hitomi could see.

"Keep going," Chid urged. "How many people has he murdered?"

"Twenty-one," Hitomi said automatically, like she was a robot.

"And how many people have his subordinates killed?"

"Seventy-one, including Van's parents, Balgus Fanel, Kristy, and Millerna."

"How many people has he destroyed through his syndicate work?" Chid persisted.

"Unable to calculate," Hitomi answered, after a long pause. Her thought processes felt jammed.

"Does he deserve the punishment of the Judgment Card?" Chid demanded, crouched by her side and waiting for her answer.

Hitomi thought that she would naturally fumble with the answer to this question. All her prior experiences made her think that she wouldn't know what to say, but instead it came through her lips like a drop of water falling from a rain soaked leaf. "Yes," she said.

Chid rose to his feet.

Apparently, Dornkirk still had a scalpel in his hand and he quickly turned it on himself. He was going to slit his own throat rather than receive punishment from Chid.

Dornkirk didn't get further than scratching himself before Chid stopped the blade and dropped it with a clatter on the floor. "Get up!" Chid ordered.

"I'm wheelchair bound. I can't get up," Dornkirk stammered, his eyes white in fear.

"I said, get up," Chid continued and within seconds Dornkirk was somehow rising to his feet. He seemed to be hovering in the air. His feet weren't touching the ground.

It was hot. It had suddenly gotten so much hotter in the room – steaming – suffocating.

Chid stood with his back towards Dornkirk and faced Hitomi. She couldn't bring herself to stand, but she was filled with an encompassing inner conviction that Chid was not evil. Instead, he was doing what desperately needed to be done. This was a person who'd crossed the line – too many times. It would be impossible for him to make amends. He had gone too far. He had given up too much and now the only way for things to be corrected was for Chid to hand him the correct judgment.

Then, just like how Hitomi transformed, Chid did. Right before her eyes, his hair changed. He was no longer blond, but his hair turned to pitch black and his eyes turned to fire. Black circles of oblivion appeared in the space around him and flares of light appeared out of nowhere.

"Mamoru?" she asked, looking at him. That was his name. That was his true name. Her vision had shown it to her. He was her brother.

"What else, Hitomi? What else do you see?" he asked, his voice and presence like that of a God.

She tried to focus, but it was unnecessary. Her heart knew what she wanted to know. "Van is in the stadium. Folken is there, too. They have confronted each other on the dirt and it looks like they are going to fight. I don't know what will happen."

"Then, you'd better go to them, while I finish up here. It's eleven o'clock now. You'd better make your voice heard before eleven-thirty when I come. Good luck, Little Goddess," he said, turning away from her. Black wings were sprouting from his back and his shirt was being torn to pieces.

Hitomi didn't want to see what else would happen. She wasn't ready to see Mamoru punish anyone and she hurried out of the room. She had to get to Van before he killed Folken. He wouldn't have come to the stadium in the first place if that wasn't his intent. She had to hurry and it was such a long way through the basement before she could make it to the arena.

She ran.

* * *

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who is still reading after 300,000 words! Thank you! You win the endurance prize. Thank you to Kaytala who beta read for me and for all the hard work she does for me - I'd promote her if I could.

Okay, so on a different note - today I have released the first chapter of my next big project. It's called 'Ghost Mist' and it's available in the fantasy section on and a couple other places if you like different archives (for instance if you read on - I can get on the 'Recognized' lists if I get 15 reviews, but I'll be so hard to find there that it makes even me wonder if I get any proper exposure there). To get you all psyched and make you want to read it, I've added a little character profile for the main character.

Tesai Tigrid is the first rider of the Demon Goddess Lyla. He's a literal dark angel who works for a goddess. His hair is white and long. He ties it in a low ponytail at the back of his neck like a French courtisan. His eyes are reptile green. He wears a charcoal grey tailored coat the hits him about mid-calf, heavy black boots that go up to his knee, a white pointed collared shirt, and he always wears gloves. He's flirtacious, bratty, self-indulgent, warped and he takes pride in his trickery and his cunning.

Please go read it! And review! I'm positive no one will read on fictionpress, so please come read and review! PLEASE! (there's a link to the site on my profile page)


	22. The Scream that Broke Everything

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne and I don't own Apoptygma Berzerk.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**The Scream that Broke Everything**

_Featuring 'Until the End of the World' by Apoptygma Berzerk_

Hitomi ran like there was a demon after her through the labyrinth of the basement beneath the Dragon Slayer stadium. She ran, leaping over lazy kids who lay semiconscious in the hallways. She ran, kicking empty liquor bottles out of her way and stomping on cigarette butts. There was no way she'd get lost. Her left eye stopped her from making a mistake as long as she covered it with her hand as she ran. She merely had to take her fingers away and look around with it to make sure she was still on track. If she was pointed the right way, everything looked clear. If she was pointed the wrong way, everything looked fuzzy. It was a really simple system.

Finally, she came to the stairwell that led her up to the main level. As she took the stairs two at a time, she looked at her watch. It was eleven o' seven already. She ran into the atrium and grabbed the main doors that led into the arena.

Rattle. Rattle.

_Damn it!_ They were locked! And there was no one around on the main level. She stared down two empty corridors. Everyone was wasted on the lower level. Well, one of these doors had to be open. She ran to the next set of doors and grappled the handles viciously to see if they would give.

Rattle. Rattle.

The frustration Hitomi felt was indescribable, but she told herself that she wasn't allowed to give up. Her husband's future was at stake as well as Folken's. She had to get inside and find out what happened. Her vision told her that Van hadn't slain Folken yet. She still had a chance to save them both. With that thought on her mind, she made herself run to the next entrance and the next one. Even though they were all locked, she made herself keep going. Maybe there was one of them that had accidentally been left unlocked.

It turned out that none of them had been.

She looked at her watch again. It was eleven twenty now. She'd spent thirteen minutes running around. The sweat was pouring down her face and her lungs were feeling tight. How could she get in there? Would she have to break down the doors? But her own powers weren't good for that sort of thing. She had darkness, ice, and water. She couldn't break down doors like Mamoru or Van. Just then, Hitomi suffered an instant where she desperately wanted to transform into Van, just to break the door down. But Mamoru had forbidden her. She crushed her fists into her forehead. What was she going to do?

She'd have to try the balcony, but what good would the balcony do her? She wouldn't be on the same level. She wouldn't be able to reach Van. He was in there with Folken. She knew it.

She rolled her shoulders and ran for the stairs. It couldn't be helped. Her breath was coming hard from the running and her brain was nearly breaking in anticipation of what she would find.

At the top, she ran between the seats down to the railing and then she saw what she had worked so hard to see – Van – deep wounds – blood - Van.

She fainted.

The world went black and she was lying on her back. Her hands felt like they were restrained, and her head was cradled by a damp pillow. Where was she? Was she having another kind of vision? Was she having a dream? She forced her eyelids to split open and she tried to focus until the world around her became clear. Then she saw it. Directly above her was a huge black spider. She wanted to jump, but for some reason her body didn't seem surprised at what it saw. It wasn't a spider. She was wrong. It was just so close to her eyes that she hadn't been able to see what it was clearly. It was a scorpion.

What? A scorpion? Why?

Then her vision went black again and she felt only a mild ache through her shoulders and hips. She wasn't lying in a bed after all, but lying on the floor of the balcony of the Dragon Slayer stadium. It took a moment for it to register in her head what exactly had happened. A Tarot user had just died and someone had received his or her powers. She had blacked out and fallen on the stiff concrete floor.

"Get up, Van!" a shrill feminine voice echoed through the air.

It roused Hitomi to full consciousness. Who was talking? She could only think of Van. Was he okay?

Hitomi pulled herself up using the balcony railing for support. Van was standing in the dirt. He had summoned a fireball and was holding it almost as a shield against Naria, was holding a whip of lightning.

Hitomi swallowed. It had to have been Dornkirk who had just been killed – not Van. It wasn't Van. _Thank goodness!_ Besides, it couldn't have been Van who passed on his abilities. He didn't have an heir.

"Van!" she cried, trying to let him know that she was there.

Van didn't budge. He was staring Naria in the face, and Eriya was approaching as well – also cracking an electrical whip between her capable fingers. None of them showed that they were recovering from a Tarot vision. It seemed that they hardly saw it as a distraction.

Van was hurt. Hitomi hadn't imagined the blood. Four vertical stripes had been ripped across both of his cheeks. They were clearly scratches made by those two catty females. Van said he didn't like to be scratched back then when they fought him in the training gym in Dryden's mansion. He said that he would deal with it no matter what they did, as long as they didn't scratch him. Now they had taken his weakness and turned it on him so that he was livid. Not only that, but his clothes were ripped and he was bleeding from similar scratches across his back, his forearms and shoulders. His hair was wet and his chest was heaving from the exertion. It wasn't easy for him to fight two of them at the same time now that they apparently knew how to use their Tarot abilities.

Folken was standing at the other end of the room. Hitomi couldn't figure out why he wasn't interfering. What was happening?

"Folken!" Van shouted to his brother. "Order your little tigresses off me, or I might really hurt one of them."

"You couldn't be responsible for that, could you, dear Van," Naria said mockingly. She was circling around him, looking for the perfect place to pounce. "Taking responsibility isn't something the Dragon does, is it? You just play at being the hero while doing whatever you think is right. You execute your own judgment. Isn't that right?"

"How many buildings have you burned down in the name of the Abaharaki? How many people have suffered because of your selfish actions?" Eriya said tauntingly.

"Folken!" Van yelled again, refusing to take notice of them. But even though he did that, Hitomi knew that their words were hurting him. Van didn't want to involve other people in his personal struggles. That was what he had learned and what he had been saying for months. However, even Hitomi could see that he didn't care what Naria and Eriya thought of him. He wasn't going to take the time to explain his philosophy to them – not now. "Order them off!"

"I can't do anything about this, Van," Folken said, his chin resting in his palm. He had massive violet rings below his eyes. Hitomi could almost feel how tired and sick he was, even at this distance. "I didn't ask them to do this. It's not my will they're following, but their own. They're not my servants."

"Fine!" Van said between gritted teeth. Then he turned and addressed the two women, "Naria, Eriya, this is your last chance. I don't have time to screw around with you. I have no time left. You have to let me have it out with Folken. Now is my only chance!"

Hitomi looked at her watch. It was eleven twenty eight. Chid would be here at any moment! And Van wanted to fight Folken!

"Van!" Hitomi hollered at him a second time, but he didn't act like he heard her.

He was waiting for Naria and Eriya's answer.

"I can't let you kill Folken!" Naria scowled, moving in to attack Van.

"Do whatever you want," Van growled. He narrowed his eyes coldly and extended his arms. Then without any further warning, he instantly summoned air like a sand storm. The dirt piles flew up in front of him like violent steam from a smoke stack, blowing Naria and Eriya away from him.

Hitomi turned away and covered her eyes. The sand was coming towards her too, and it was getting in her face. It was burning. She turned away to find a place to hide, but there was nothing. Hitomi's heart started to pound like she was in an emergency. Would the stadium be ripped to shreds over them? Would Van pull the roof down?

And then the storm died; just that quickly. It had been there and then it was gone.

Hitomi looked over the railing to see that Naria and Eriya had both been smashed against the ceiling of the arena and were now lying unconscious on the ground. At least, they looked unconscious – they might be dead.

Apparently, Van had the same idea, because he went up to each of them and checked their pulse.

"Van! What are you doing?" Folken said, actually getting angry enough to approach him. "Why did you do something reckless like that? You could have killed them both! And you aren't supposed to use air. It could trigger your wings."

"Could it?" Van challenged as Folken menacingly covered the ground between them. Indeed, his wings had not sprung out of his back.

Folken paused.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" Van said coldly. "How dare you act like it matters when you made me an orphan … when you've tortured me! How could you possibly expect me to believe that you care for me? You just don't want me to hurt your last chance to pass on your Tarot abilities to an heir. Why should I protect what's important to you when you've worked so hard to take everything from me – even Hitomi? How dare you!"

Folken bent down and put his fingers to Naria's throat. "No. I don't expect anything from you. You're right. You don't owe me anything. I just don't want to see these girls get hurt. I didn't want them to fight you, but they wouldn't listen to me. They were so determined … like Hitomi last night and I couldn't bring myself to deny them. But you're right. Just take your vengeance out on me instead of them."

"Don't be stupid. They had to move out the way. I had to remove them from the equation," Van said grimly. He wiped the sand that was sticking to his wounds and rubbed his neck. "Are you ready? Do you have anything you want to say to me?"

Folken stood up and looked Van in the eye. "I thought the gun was empty--" he stammered.

"Save it!" Van said shortly. "I've heard that before."

Hitomi's heart was in her throat. What was Van going to do? Was it truly Van's intention to murder his own brother? Did he seriously spend all that time soaking in water and not gain anything? What time was it? Would Mamoru be here soon? Hitomi bit her lip. This was terrifying and Van wasn't acknowledging her. She couldn't do anything!

"You were only a child back then," Folken said. "Does it really hurt so much? Haven't you got over the pain of losing them yet? It's been almost twenty years," Folken stuttered. Apparently, Folken wasn't able to keep his cool at a time like this, even when he believed that this was something he deserved.

Van stood with his fists clenched. "Shut up," he said coarsely. "I guess I didn't come here to hear what you have to say about this. What you say and what you think hardly matter. Why did I even give you a chance to talk? I'm an idiot … However; I came here to do something … something that will set me free from hating you forever. Whether you appreciate what I've come to do for you or not is another matter. Frankly, I don't care. But you owe me the privilege of giving me this," Van said, keeping his eyes steadily on Folken and not wavering. "Listen to me."

Folken didn't nod, but simply stared.

Hitomi stood there and waited for what Van would say or do. What?

Van cleared his throat and all of a sudden, he began to do the most amazing thing. He began to sing. His voice was unsteady at first and it cracked.

_All the weights that keep me down  
Seem heavier than before   
They hit me in my face  
Though you feel nothing  
_

Hitomi listened very carefully. This was very important. Van was using his brother's skill. Van had received Folken's blood and was therefore able to use his brother's Tarot abilities. Folken could do anything with his song and Van was giving the magic a try.

Just like when Folken sang, Van had a reason for singing. There was something that he was getting out of this. What was it? Van was talking about the pain that he suffered at losing his parents. He was talking about how much it hurt him, and how it didn't matter to him whether or not Folken cared about the sorrow he felt over their loss.

Van continued, his voice gaining power and energy, even though it was untrained and completely different from Folken's smooth tone.

_Only time will heal you say  
Your word's not therapy  
That half of me is gone  
My dearest treasure torn away  
_

He was saying that there was nothing that Folken could say or do in order to make the pain go away. Hitomi cringed. Was there really nothing he could do?

Half of him was gone? Hitomi covered her mouth with her fingers. Van never expressed his feelings on this subject. Sometimes it came out in violent spurts, but never did he show the pain in this way – show that the hurt ran so deep.

Van paused, and seemed to clear his head and heart before he sang with strong conviction:

_I'll stick with you until the end of the world  
I cry out loud but you hear nothing  
I'll wait for you until the end of the world  
My dearest treasure torn away  
_

"Van!" Hitomi cried. Literal tears fell down her cheeks. He was going to forgive him! Van had decided to forgive him! Whether Folken cared or not didn't matter.

Folken was staring at Van as he sang. His face didn't become distorted with emotion, but pearl tears slid down his cheeks. Folken looked like the dead, so ill and tired, but as the tears touched his skin – the radiance of life almost seemed to return to his flesh. He clenched his hands together and stepped closer to Van.

They didn't touch, but Van was figuratively embracing Folken by choosing to use one of his Tarot abilities. Van said that even using darkness made him feel dirty, but now he was using something unique to Folken – and it was powerful.

_I'll stick with you until the end of the world  
I cry out loud but you hear nothing  
I'll wait for you until the end of the world   
My dearest treasure torn away_

Then there was a sound. It was directly below Hitomi. It took a second for her to recognize the sound. It was like the whirring of a blowtorch. Hitomi looked at her watch. It was exactly eleven thirty and Mamoru was below them. He was sizzling the hinges and melting the locks on the door below her. He'd taken a short cut that had not been available to Hitomi who lacked fire as an element.

"Van! Chid's HERE!" Hitomi managed to yell. "He's going to kill Folken!" Hitomi shrieked.

The doors flew off and Van grabbed Folken with both arms. He put his back between Folken and Mamoru.

"I'll stick with you until the end of the world!" Van screamed. He threw both arms around Folken and light broke forth from all around him. Hitomi wanted to look away because the strength of it was so concentrated, but she couldn't look away and abandon Van like that. It was blinding. She couldn't see Van, Folken, or Mamoru. She couldn't see anything. There was wind, there was rain, there was flying sand, lightning, there was passion, control, and the brightest of all lights. Hitomi had never seen an explosion of power like this before. There were rainbows forming in the air. There were feathers – black feathers falling from the ceiling – and odd little silver discs that Hitomi didn't recognize. What was she looking at?

The black circles of the void were appearing in the air. She could see Mamoru now. He had come from beneath where she was standing and he was taking paced steps towards Van and Folken. Hitomi saw his black hair curling in the wind as he came closer to the white ball of light that Van was creating. His dark wings stopped moving and they folded against his bare back – his shirt had clearly been torn to oblivion. He was carrying a scythe in his arms, but he wasn't holding it like he was preparing to strike.

Then suddenly, Mamoru turned and found Hitomi standing stationary on the balcony ledge. As he turned, Hitomi saw his tattoo. It was a blazing fiery sun and it was located exactly overtop of his own heart.

"Hitomi," he called to her over the noise. "Did you decide this?" The wind was blowing through his hair and making him appear flawless as Hitomi looked down on him. He didn't do anything, except what was right. "Did you ask the Dragon to defend the Sorcerer like this? Did you?"

Hitomi shook her head.

Mamoru dropped one end of the scythe in the dirt and pointing at Hitomi, he asked her, "You know what he's done, don't you?"

The wind blew around Hitomi. She hadn't seen what Mamoru had done to Dornkirk. She knew that she could have seen it if she wanted to through her left eye, but she didn't like to see someone suffer like that – even when it was deserved. It had been bad enough for her to see what Dornkirk had done in the past. It was enough to know that the blood was avenged. She couldn't handle seeing justice prevail though – something in her made that impossible.

He was right though. She knew what Folken had been doing, and it was sickening. He was a liar, a cheat, and a cruel person who had tortured his own brother and helped to build a syndicate with one of the most vicious Tarot users ever born. However, she saw that his heart longed for change. She saw that his soul screamed for a chance to make amends. Dryden talked to her about how it healed him to apologize and attempt to make things right – and the joy of living properly. These were the things Folken wanted. He wanted a chance to fix things and Hitomi longed to give it to him. She wanted it so much that her tears were coming again.

"Do you want to offer him mercy?" Mamoru asked.

"Yes!" Hitomi cried, feeling that giving Folken mercy was what she wanted more than anything else in the world.

"Then it's done," Mamoru said, and immediately, his scythe vanished and the dark angel who had stood there on the dirt piles was gone and only sunny, blond-haired Chid remained.

Even Van seemed to recognize the difference; perhaps he could see Mamoru through the blinding light he created, because the light diminished. The wind slowed and faded, and the absolute detonation of all eight of Van's elements slowly ebbed and again there was clear air in the arena.

Chid beckoned to Hitomi and showed her an easy way down to the centre of the stadium, so that she could be beside Van when his elements cooled. She made it down before he was even completely visible. There was still steam around him when she finally approached him and Folken.

Folken had fainted and was now lying in Van's arms.

Van had not been able to keep his power at bay when he moved to protect Folken and not only had he used all eight elements at once, but he hadn't been able to stop his black wings from splitting through his back. His shirt was ruined before, but now it was only clinging to his body by a sleeve. As Hitomi got closer, she saw that wasn't the only thing about him that was different. There were two long stripes worth of silverfish blue dragon scales. They started at his cheekbones and ran down his chest to his rib cage. Van had become part dragon!

Van was clutching Folken and his eyes were shut very tight – like he wasn't going to let go.

"Van," Hitomi said quietly. "You can let go now. Folken has been saved. Chid won't hurt him now. You can relax."

Van's shoulders loosened and he opened his eyes to look at Hitomi. "Did I save him?"

Hitomi looked around nervously. She wasn't sure how to answer that.

Chid came up behind Hitomi, who was now crouching beside Van. He plopped down in the sand and crossed his legs.

"Did I save him?" Van asked again. He was either asking Chid or he was asking Hitomi. It didn't matter which.

Hitomi stammered. She still didn't know how to answer.

"You both did," Chid answered pleasantly.

* * *

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who read this and especially to those who review. I really appreciate that. Thanks to Kaytala for beta reading - she's a real sport. There's a lot of news to go through so, I'd better get started.

First off - I'm writing a new BIG PROJECT. It's on fictionpress (there's a link to my account there through my profile here). It's called 'Ghost Mist' and it's going to be an incredibly fun book. The main character is named Tesai and he's sort of a man-whore. Great fun - I promise. The first chapter is all that's there so far. If you go - please review. I really appreciate that.

Second - I'm writing a new Escaflowne novella called 'Whenever You Want'. If you haven't read it, you might want to give it a try.

Third - I've had some requests for me to write a book four for this series. I'm actually pretty open to this idea. I promise that I'll come up with something good if enough support is shown. Basically, tell me if you're interested in a fourth book in your review - that's plenty. Right now I'm only about 16 likely to take it into a fourth season.

Finally - I'm not going to open any more forums for 'Mark of a Goddess', so if you want to know something about anything you can either go to my general forum, PM me, ask in your review, or go to the very last topic thread on my MoaG forum. I don't mind if people hunt me up and ask me questions. Actually, I love it - so don't be shy.

Thank you to all you - you rock! Oh, and there are still two more chapters coming.


	23. Forbidden City

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Forbidden City**

Hitomi parked her car and plugged the meter before heading into the building where her mother worked. It had been about two weeks since the showdown in the Dragon Slayer stadium. Christmas was coming now and the Christmas lights on the streets were finally making the dark winter seem cheery. Hitomi almost wished that she and Van were going to stay in the city for the holidays, but Dryden had finally given them his wedding present and no one thought it was a good idea for Hitomi and Van to live in the city from now on. That was why Hitomi had to come and talk to her mother. She was leaving the city and she didn't think she and Van would ever come back.

She walked into the building and greeted the receptionist. Then she walked past the bullpen and followed the hallway to her mother's office.

"Hi," Hitomi said, tapping her knuckles on the doorframe.

Her mom got up from her desk and took Hitomi in her arms. "I'm so glad you're okay. You should have come here earlier."

Hitomi hugged her mom and thought about how much had changed since the last time she had embraced her.

"You didn't even say 'good-bye' to me before you left."

"Sorry about that," Hitomi said, pulling away. "That couldn't be helped. I didn't want you to try to convince me to stay. It was just impossible, so I didn't say anything to you on my way out. What can I say? I'm not very good at checking in with my parents."

Her mother smiled and looked at her happily, though a little puzzled. "Now Hitomi, it's eleven thirty in the morning. Why aren't you at school?"

Hitomi pulled at her collar to show her mom that she wasn't wearing her school uniform. "I thought maybe the school had called you to complain about my poor attendance. I haven't been back there since I left home."

"I don't think they called. If they did, they spoke to your father, but why are you skipping class? Don't you want to graduate from high school?"

"I wanted to take you out for lunch," Hitomi said, avoiding her mother's question. She'd explain everything to her at the restaurant. "It's almost your lunch break, isn't it?" Hitomi put her thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans, and leaned back, waiting for her mom to answer her. "You didn't have plans, did you?"

"No," her mother answered. She picked up her jacket and got her purse out of her desk drawer. "Do you know where you're taking me?"

Hitomi had given some thought to this moment. It was like Van. The way he went out of his way to spoil her, just before he gave her bad news. She was planning to take her mom somewhere a little different, so that she would never forget that day, and the feelings Hitomi had. "I thought we'd go to The Vineyard," Hitomi suggested. It was the restaurant Van had taken her the evening he gave her the jewel necklace.

"Did you make a reservation?" her mother asked skeptically.

Hitomi nodded that she had, and they walked out together.

Once on the street, Hitomi jingled the keys to the convertible and said, "Oh, and Mom, I have my car with me, so I'm driving."

"What?" her mother asked, as Hitomi unlocked the passenger-side door for her. "You have some explaining to do," she said, looking at the car.

"I know," Hitomi said, getting in beside her. "That's what this lunch is all about. I really have to do some explaining. I haven't done much of it thus far, but today I'm going to talk to you for real."

Hitomi's mom respected Hitomi's wish to keep things quiet until they were at the restaurant, so they didn't talk much in the car.

Once they were at The Vineyard and their meals were ordered, Hitomi started to explain, "Last May, I met this guy named Van. I know we've talked about him a little, but I have never explained my relationship with him, and I think it's time I told you the truth, because …" Hitomi wanted to choose her words very carefully. She'd tried to rehearse what she was going to say to her mother, but there was no lightweight way to say it. "You see … you're not going to believe this."

"Just go slowly," her mom gently encouraged.

"I guess I'll start by telling you about him. He's twenty-two, and he graduated from university last spring with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. I'm only telling you this, because he told dad he was nineteen when he broke into the apartment last summer."

"Oh," her mom said simply, leaving Hitomi lots of room to give the remaining details.

"He lied and you have no idea how much lying I have done since I came home. I tried not to, but Dad pushed me and I ended up having to tell half-truths. I always intended on coming clean with you, but I had to hang on until the moment was right and Dad wouldn't wait." Hitomi took a deep breath and continued, "I just don't want you to think that Van's a bad person because he lied to Dad. He's not. He's a really good person. At the time, Van probably didn't want Dad to think he was a cradle robber, since apparently, he told Dad he was in love with me."

"Is he in love with you?"

"Yes," Hitomi said quietly.

"And that's his car out front? It's nice of him to let you borrow it."

Hitomi bit her lip. This was her opportunity to get the truth out. She couldn't bypass it. "Actually, he didn't let me borrow it. It's our car together – his and mine."

Her mother looked at her blankly, like she wasn't sure what to say.

Hitomi could see that her mother wasn't prepared for the news she was about to spill, but Hitomi might as well get on with it. Her mother was never going to be ready for it. "You see," Hitomi said. "I'm in love with him too, and we're--"

"Moving in together …" her mother finished flatly for Hitomi. Her tone was one hundred percent unimpressed.

_That_ was Hitomi's cue. "Yes, but you don't understand. When I was living with you, and Dad, and Marlene after I came back, I should have been living with him. He's my husband."

Her mother gaped. "What?"

"I know it's a lot to take in, so I'll explain in more detail. When he was breaking into the apartment, he wasn't stealing that picture of Marlene like he told Dad he was. He was getting my birth certificate, so that we could be married."

"Why didn't you just come for it yourself? You could have come and introduced us … and invited us to the wedding!" Her mum spoke softly, but it was obvious she was quite hurt and completely bowled over.

Hitomi was expecting this, but she had to try to make her mother understand without putting her family in turmoil. "Mum, the story of how all this happened is too outrageous. I don't think you'll believe me."

"Try me," her mother said dangerously as she tapped her nails on her water glass.

Hitomi knew this was going to be difficult, but she thought she prepared herself for what would happen here. Even if her mother pitched a fit, at least Hitomi could walk out of the restaurant without worrying that she hadn't tried her best to place her trust in her mother. "Van isn't an ordinary guy … and I'm not an ordinary girl. Do you remember how you said that we have a family secret? You said that Akira was in on it and you weren't?"

"Yes," her mother said slowly.

"I know what the secret is."

"And you're not going to tell me, right?"

"I want to tell you," Hitomi said. "I want to tell you what the truth is. It just takes a long time to explain and it's too weird. Akira had a tattoo of a butterfly. She was a magical creature who could change her age and appear to be a crone or a child. She was inexplicably tied to the underworld and could see and talk to ghosts. I read her memoirs. She was in love with a ghost named Dominic, which is why she never got married."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Please be quiet. You can't be serious. Please don't tell such insane lies about my very own sister."

"Lies!" Hitomi blurted. "I'm like her. I can do things like her."

"What? I'm getting very impatient, Hitomi. Nothing you do makes sense anymore. I thought I could believe in your outbursts, that it was just the wildness in our family coming out in you, but I'm not sure anymore. Akira was sensible compared to you. Your father says that you ran away from home to be with this guy – Van – and then you ran away again and Marlene says that you started living with this different guy named Dryden. Now you're telling me this ridiculous story to try to win me over. You do not make any sense. You're not into drugs, are you?"

Here, Hitomi was temped to transform into someone else just to convince her mother that she wasn't lying or full or crap. The most tempting person she thought of was her father. That would freak her mother out, but maybe there were too many people in the restaurant to fool around with her abilities here. If she wanted to do something like that, then she'd have to wait.

"Fine," Hitomi said, while her mother waited anxiously for Hitomi to answer the question about whether or not she was on drugs. "I'm not on drugs," Hitomi said at last, and her mother's shoulders relaxed. "I didn't just come here to tell you I was married. I came here to tell you the truth about my 'wild behaviour', but since you won't listen to the truth about Akira or me then I'll have to tell you my last piece of news."

"Okay," her mother said tolerantly.

"I'm leaving the city the day after tomorrow. Van and I are moving to the coast."

"Where exactly? Do you have an address?"

"Not really," Hitomi answered noncommittally.

"Will the two of you come to visit? Will I even get to meet your husband?"

"I don't know," Hitomi said, looking at the ceiling instead of at her mother's face. It was too hard to look into her mother's eyes, since Hitomi suspected that it might be the last time.

Then the waiter placed their dishes in front of them and Hitomi started to eat. It was too depressing, but Hitomi felt like this agonizing mood that had settled between her mother and herself would never dissipate. This was going to be the way she was going to remember her mother. Hitomi sighed and took a drag on her water glass. Maybe all that Chid had told her about the way people absorbed information was true. No one easily accepted the reality of Tarot users. That was why everyone always learned things so slowly, why Akira had chosen to live alone, and why Tarot users had to bunch together and stay together. They were the only ones who understood.

"Why would you say something like that about Akira?" her mother suddenly asked.

"It's only the truth. After great-uncle Minami died, Akira went to go live with his widow so that she could be a medium between the two of them. Apparently, Minami still had a lot to say to his wife even after he died. Sort of romantic for them and a little twisted that it placed Akira right between the two of them. Marriages aren't good when they include three people," Hitomi said boldly. She was thinking that she might as well go down in a blaze of sparks as fade quietly. "That would explain a lot of Akira's teenage loneliness, wouldn't it?"

"So you know all about her?"

"Not really. She didn't write a lot about her life. She talked about street racing, her love affair with Dominic, a little about a fling she had with Van's brother. I think you said you knew him – Folken Fanel."

"Folken is Van's brother?" her mother exclaimed.

"Yes. He's been in the paper a lot lately," Hitomi commented. Folken had been working hard to rip the Zaibach Group up by the roots. She and Chid had made him promise he would do so before they let him go with Naria and Eriya. Even though it was a lot of trouble for Folken because he still wasn't completely healed, he was a very good candidate for aiding the police in ridding the city of syndicate crime and getting those hordes of teenagers into detox. The Voltage Room had stacks of incriminating files and evidence of wrongdoing about all the Zaibach group's illegal drug and arms dealers. Folken had made a plea bargain with the police – all his evidence for protection. Hitomi was thrilled. She dreamed of him doing that when she went to fight him two weeks ago. It hadn't been possible then, but now, he was working hard. It was fun to watch him work. The police thought they were protecting him. They had no idea that it was The Sorcerer who was protecting them.

"But he's a mobster!" Hitomi's mother wailed.

"Not anymore. He gave all that up," Hitomi said, spooning her soup into her mouth.

"But what about Van? Has he ever been involved in something like that?"

"Have you been following the story?" Hitomi asked.

"A little."

"Then you've read about The Dragon Slayers. Van's code name is 'The Dragon'. The person they were trying to kill was Van, but all that is over now," Hitomi said indifferently.

"And you want to be with a guy who's being chased by gangsters?"

The look of concern on her mother's face bothered Hitomi. She wasn't sure how to react to it. In situations like these, what Hitomi wanted to do most was say something that would shock her mother. Hitomi sat there with her tongue in her cheek and tried to decide if there was a good reason to hold back.

"Mom, I have done insane things since I met Van and Millerna died. I was kidnapped from home. Surely, you don't think that was a prank by Van and his friends. I was honestly kidnapped by gangsters. I was beaten up and taken to their hideout where they strapped me to a huge dartboard in front of a studio audience. If Van hadn't saved me, I would have become target practice, and I'm not sure what I would have become after a situation like that. Tons of stuff has happened since then. I have been attacked by crazies and drawn their blood since then. I have caused massive disturbances at bars and fought bodyguards and bouncers by myself and come out clean. I've been in car chases in stolen vehicles. I've been serenaded by a popular singer, been proposed to by a gangster, got married in a church while wearing a graduation dress, I've skipped school, hung out with important corporate officers and done a hundred and one other odd and incredible things."

"And you expect me to believe all this?" her mother asked angrily.

"Before I came here, I thought that you would believe it, but apparently not. That's okay, though. Don't think that I came to burden you with my problems. I just wanted to let you know why I was M.I.A. and let you know that I still love you and Dad and Marlene. I just don't know how to live with you all now that I'm married and I am what I am."

"And what exactly are you?" her mother fumed.

"A goddess," Hitomi answered, without flinching.

"Huh?" Now her mom looked flabbergasted.

"It's just a title," Hitomi said, looking away from her mom and into the dinning room.

"So, you're leaving the day after tomorrow?" her mother asked, changing the subject to something reasonable. "Did you say what city you were planning on moving to?"

"We're not moving to a city," Hitomi said.

"Town then?"

"Not a town."

"Where are you going, Daughter dear?"

"A friend of ours has given us a wedding present – a yacht. We're picking it up on the coast and then we might sail to Mexico or China. I don't know. We'll be there for Christmas, so please don't buy us any presents."

"A yacht?" her mother asked suspiciously.

"Look, you've already made it quite clear that you don't believe anything I say. I can prove everything very easily, but I don't think you want to believe me. I'll send you some pictures, but I wish that we could just get along and have a bloody happy ending. I don't know when I'll be back, Mum."

"I just don't know how you can trust these people!"

"They are my race," Hitomi said, suddenly grabbing her mother's hand under the table and forcing their eyes to meet. "I'm not human, Mom. I'm a little different from Akira. I'm not going to age and I'm not going to die. It runs in our family that the oldest female child is this way – except for Minami. He was like me, but he was the only man in our family that was this way for generations."

Her mother tried to free her hand under the table.

"Why are you fighting me, Mom? Are you afraid of me? Do you think that I'm going to hurt you?" Her mother wasn't looking at Hitomi, but instead at someone standing on the other side of the table. Had the waiter come back?

Hitomi turned and saw a lovely dark haired youth. His hair was falling into his eyes and across his lean cheeks. He was wearing a tailored black leather jacket and dark blue jeans. It was Van. Thank goodness.

"Can I join you?" he asked Hitomi pleasantly.

Hitomi let go of her mother's hand. She nodded and moved in the booth to allow space for him.

Van smiled and introduced himself to Hitomi's mother. "I'm Van Fanel," he said warmly. "Hitomi told me that she wanted to come and talk to you about this on her own, but I didn't think it was nice of me to let her talk to you entirely by herself."

"Very gentlemanly," her mother commented.

"I would have been more gentlemanly of me if I'd introduced myself to you properly before the wedding, but it wasn't possible."

"I still don't understand why it 'wasn't possible'," she said. Hitomi couldn't figure out if she was angry or pacified.

"It's a long story," Van said.

"And are you going to start spouting the same story Hitomi has already tried to lay on me? That she's a goddess and inhuman? Who could believe a story like that?" her mother fumed.

"I guess you don't have to believe it if you don't want to," Van said reasonably. "The thing is that if we show you exactly how different we are from normal people, then after we leave, you could reason yourself out of believing that what we showed you was true. Seeing isn't always believing."

"So you won't show me anything?"

Van frowned and said quietly, "I'm more trigger-happy than Hitomi and am I not as shy about showing what I can do. I don't have a problem showing you the difference between us and regular humans, but I only want to do it if Hitomi is comfortable. Hitomi?" Van asked, turning towards her. "Can I show your mother something?"

Hitomi clenched her teeth and nodded. Van was reacting to her mother's hostility, even though they had just met. He was getting angry.

"You weren't going to drink the rest of your water, were you dear?" Van asked.

"No," Hitomi said, pushing the goblet towards him.

"Thanks," Van said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue plastic lighter. He cracked the case with his thumb and poured the lighter fluid into the water. He dropped the wet, broken lighter on a white napkin and carefully dried his fingers on the corner of it. "Ready?" he asked his mother-in-law.

She raised an eyebrow and said that she was.

Once the fluid settled on top of the water Van snapped his fingers and the fluid in the glass started on fire. The flames leapt past the rim.

Hitomi felt her heart beat. One beat, two beats, three beats. On the third beat, Hitomi put out her hand and froze the glass solid. The ice was so intense that it covered Hitomi's hand and she couldn't put the glass down.

An uneasy moment passed before Hitomi's mother slumped her shoulders and said coldly, "You said he had a degree in Chemistry, didn't you?"

Hitomi exhaled a heated breath and let the ice on her fingers melt. "So, you still don't believe us?"

"You know, that sort of thing can be done as part of a magic trick. Your father and I were watching T.V. the other night and we saw—"  
"I don't care," Hitomi said, allowing her head to fall against the cushions in the booth. "Why don't we just pay the bill and we'll take you back to your office? It's clear that we're never going to get through to you, so let's finish up. Van and I are moving and we have a lot of work to do before we leave."

Van drove them back to the office, because Hitomi was clearly too distraught to concentrate on city traffic.

When they pulled up in front of the building, her mother turned around in the passenger seat and asked Hitomi, "What do you have to do to get ready to leave? Do you need to pick up your things from our apartment?"

"No," Hitomi said. She was so depressed now that she couldn't even feign civility. "We're only taking our clothes with us and I already took all I need from the apartment. Thank you for the offer, but when I said that we have things to do, I planned to go to the cemetery this afternoon and pay my respects at Millerna's grave."

"What do you want us to do with your stuff?" her mother asked.

Hitomi suddenly didn't want to be ungrateful for all that her parents had done for her. They had been good parents. It seemed cold to say that it could all be thrown away, because she didn't need it. "Why don't you hang onto it, in case I ever do come back?"

"You don't think you'll ever come back?" she asked sadly.

During a moment like this, it would have been convenient if Hitomi could have transformed into Akira, just so she could show her mother undeniable proof that there was something different about her. That would have been perfect, except that Hitomi could not transform into anyone who did not require judgment. Akira was dead. She was past judgment. Hitomi wasn't sure if there was anything she could do. Maybe it was impossible for her mother to believe her, even if she transformed into someone else.

Hitomi couldn't deny the truth of her ability. The truth was that the reason she was able to transform into other people was so that she could discern their feelings a little bit without using her full vision and discovering all about them. It was quieter; less intrusive. Hitomi had used this ability falsely so many times. She had tricked Allen into believing that she was Marlene to test him to see if he really would keep his word to Van and to trap him in a closet. She had also used it to trick Folken into talking to her, and she had thought of using it for wrong reasons a lot of times. But what should she do now? It was wrong to transform into someone else and receive insight about his or her feelings for her own selfish reasons.

There was no way to prove to her mother through her own abilities that she was a Tarot user without doing something overblown and unnecessary.

Finally, Hitomi had a touch of inspiration and she said softly to her mother, "I've thought of one last thing. Do you remember a little girl I used to play with when I was a child? Her name was Aya?"

"I remember her face," she answered.

"That was Akira. I told you that she had the power to change into any age she chose. She turned herself into a child and came to visit me because she wanted to teach me about myself without interference." Hitomi looked closely for her mother's reaction.

Her mother bit her lip and fumbled with her keys for a moment before she grabbed the car door handle. "Can I give your father a message?"

Hitomi put her hand on her shoulder. "Tell him I love him and I'm sorry for being impossible."

Her mother nodded before turning to Van and saying, "Take care of her. I want to stop her from going, but I can't, so you had better be a good man."

"I will be," Van promised solemnly. Then he suddenly got out of the car and came around to the passenger side. He opened the car door for his mother-in-law and then opened Hitomi's. "I don't like to see it end like this. Hitomi thinks we're going to disappear off the face of the Earth, but we will meet again. If you don't believe us now, you will in thirty years when Hitomi still looks as fresh as a high school student."

Hitomi hugged her mother tightly and they said their good-bye.

Hitomi couldn't tell if her mother cried. All she could feel were her own tears and the horror of the final moment. It was the moment when she became a woman and parted ways with her parent by her own choice. She had to pull herself together, but instead she was choking. She was holding her mom so closely and then somewhere between hot tears of separation, she was no longer in the arms of a wise woman but in the arms of a tense young man. Hitomi raised her head and looked around blindly for her mother, but she was gone.

There was only Van. He put his arms around her firmly. "I love you. I need you," he whispered into her ear. "I need you more than anyone else in the world. I need you to fill all those gaps in my life and I need to make you want to be everything to me."

Hitomi put her hand to her mouth and fell into Van's chest.

"Besides," Van said. "I think you convinced her with your last words about Aya."

* * *

Author's Notes: Hiya! Thanks for coming to read these last chapters. There is still one more coming after this one. One more. One more. Thanks so much to Kaytala for her goodness in beta reading for me. And thanks to all of you for coming to read. 

It has been decided that I will not be writing a fourth book to this series. I wrote a storyboard, but decided not to go on with the story after I consulted some of my dearest friends. The storyboard is available on my my ghostmist blog (you'll have to scroll down a little). The web address is on my profile page, or if you ask for it in your review I'll reply with the url.

Also, there is a new chapter of my new BIG project 'Ghost Mist' on fictionpress. The url for that is also on my profile page or I can send it to you if you ask for it. By the way, someone asked for it awhile ago without leaving a email address or anything. I can't do anything for you if you don't let me. But seriously, this story is very near and dear to my heart - it's a good read and my main character Tesai is way more fun than Hitomi to write. Everyone go read it - it's gonna be extremely good.

And crazycamealion - you are totally on my hit list. Do you know how many times I wanted to write you back because of your comments and you friggin' didn't leave an email address? I'm happy that you commented so much and had so much to say, but I couldn't do anything to write you back and I was going absolutely batty. There was so much I wanted to say and I couldn't - WAH!

Thanks so much everyone for reading.


	24. Mark of a Goddess

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Mark of a Goddess**

Hitomi lay back on a chair on her own private yacht. There was something extremely satisfying about lying hal- naked under the sun and not feeling even a smidgen of self-consciousness about her body. They were out to sea, so there was no one to see her tan lines, freckles or her voluptuousness … or should she say lack thereof? Anyway, it was extremely comfortable.

What a great present Dryden had given them. Now Hitomi wanted to know what she and Van could give him and Selphie for a wedding present. She wished that they could have attended their wedding, but Dryden left for Madrid after Hitomi, Van, and Chid came back from the stadium. He phoned them later that week to let them know that he and Selphie had gotten married.

When she asked Van what he thought they should get him, his eyes bugged out of his head and he asked, "What could we get that guy? He has everything." Van paused before he admitted, "He already told me what he wants."

"What?" Hitomi asked curiously, taking off her sunglasses.

"He wants me to go work for his company as one of his lackeys. I think he just wants an excuse to boss me around," Van said, sounding vexed.

Hitomi laughed. "He probably wants you close to him because you two are such great friends."

"He just likes teasing me and … we're friggin' adults! Why do I have to put up with his crap?" Van raged.

"Maybe I could go work for him?" Hitomi mused.

"What the hell? Why would you want to work for him?"

Hitomi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's not like anyone else would hire a girl who didn't even graduate from high school for a job that doesn't involve pumping gas or serving food. Maybe I could become a corporate suit if I worked for Dryden."

Van frowned. "You can't sell my soul without my permission."

"I wouldn't be. I wasn't talking about you going to work for him," Hitomi said casually as she flipped through a magazine.

"Exactly – you think your soul is yours to sell? It's mine and I don't want you working for Dryden. If our funds get low, _I'd_ rather go work for him than send you. Besides, you two are already much too close."

"Hmm," Hitomi said thoughtfully. "It sounds like you've already decided to go work for him."

Van winced. "He made me a pretty impressive offer. A sickeningly good offer, actually."

"And you're ashamed of yourself for wanting to take it?"

"I just always wanted to chop my way through the world myself instead of relying on other people. That's the way it's been so far. It's just that now that I know who and what Tarot users are, I'm just not sure that I want to live like an ordinary person. Folken has told me that once he's done with the Zaibach group, and it could take as long as ten years for him to finish dismantling them, he plans to disappear completely with either Naria or Eriya."

"He doesn't know which one?" Hitomi exclaimed.

Van rolled his eyes, "Apparently not. I think he might just be waiting to see which one likes him better. I might be on crack, but I thought that he was leaning towards Eriya. I guess we'll see how that pans out."

"Yeah," Hitomi agreed.

"And then there's Chid. He went to Madrid to heal Celena before she had her baby, didn't he?"

"Yes," Hitomi said certainly. "I asked him to do it. I couldn't stand the idea of her or the baby being hurt or reliant on drugs."

Van touched Hitomi's cheek. "Yeah, thinking of them made me pretty miserable, too. Especially since Dilandau was the one who received the symbol of the scorpion. There's no way he's going to leave her alone." Van took a deep intake of breath, put his hands on his knees and continued talking about their future. "It's just that no one is abandoning Tarot culture. Folken is going to do his part to pay the necessary retribution so that Chid won't come after him. Then after that, he's going to get married and have his heir. Chid is still going around taking care of all of us and Dryden is still sticking his neck out to take care of Celena – who is clearly not his responsibility. Allen can't do anything to protect Celena from Dilandau, even though he thinks he can in his egotism. I just feel like I don't want to leave that problem in Dryden's hands, so I should move us to Madrid after our honeymoon and work hard to help out."

There was a pause in conversation once Van stopped speaking. Hitomi was thinking about moving to Madrid. What would that be like? She didn't speak Spanish. She would be like Selphie when she was in the city and unable to speak English. Thinking of Selphie, Hitomi started to wonder about her. Weren't she and Dryden still at the castle in Madrid taking care of Celena?

Hitomi suddenly piped up, "Hey Van, where are Dryden and Selphie? Didn't they go on a honeymoon themselves? I mean, they _just_ got married!"

Suddenly Van's face, neck and ears turned bright red. "Dryden said that he didn't need a honeymoon."

Hitomi's eyes opened curiously. "Why would that make you so uncomfortable?"

"I'm not uncomfortable," Van denied.

"Then why are your ears red?" Hitomi observed.

"It's hot out here," he said, getting up from the chair. "We'll talk about moving to Madrid later. Do you want a drink? I'm getting a drink."

"Okay," Hitomi said suppressing her laughter. She watched his back until he was out of sight. Then she let out a howl. What weird thing did Dryden tell Van about after his wedding? Hitomi thought about it for a second before she remembered the rose tattoo on Dryden's can. She shuddered. She didn't want to know.

* * *

Later that night, Hitomi was alone in the bathroom. It was too hot for her to have a bath so she was standing at the sink shaving her legs. 

"I'm going to cut myself," she said uneasily as she put her foot on the vanity. The ship wasn't exactly steady and the slight bumps and dips were enough to upset even the steadiest of hands. She took out her shaving foam and squished a dollop of cream into her palm. After applying it to her right leg she said again, "I'm going to cut myself." She moved the razor up her shin and there was another sudden bump.

"Crap," she said, pulling the razor away. "I'm really going to cut myself." Hitomi took a deep breath and prepared to try again. She put her pink razor to her ankle and tried to concentrate on the job at hand, but her brain kept wandering.

What would happen if she really cut herself? Chid had told her many things about her true identity after they finished at the stadium. He told her that she was the Mercy Card. She was someone who looked into the soul of someone who would have been claimed by the Justice Card and decided whether or not that person deserved a chance to try to make things right. He told her what a big responsibility it was and how she should protect and use her powers.

Chid also let her know that he would come to get her from now on if he needed to judge someone, and he guessed that that time would be sooner than she expected. It didn't take long for them to figure out that Dilandau was the one who inherited the Devil's powers. Not many Tarot users were born with a symbol that meant evil revenge, but since one had appeared, Chid would need Hitomi again soon. He thought that Dilandau would probably try to get vengeance for The Devil. Dornkirk knew he was going to die, so he left that little time bomb behind to screw everyone over after he was gone. Hitomi hated the idea of having to go after Dilandau, but if he were dead or reformed, Celena would be free. That would free up other people, too. It would remove all of them from the care of Dryden and Allen, Celena, Gaddes, and Eries could all go back to their real lives. Except there was one thing, Chid said that they had to wait for Dilandau to do something wrong before they could go after him. Hitomi didn't understand why they had to wait when Dilandau's symbol was inherently evil.

Chid smiled and said, "I'm not the kind of god who forces people to make the right decisions. You shouldn't try to be that kind of goddess either. Even though a scorpion is what he was given, it doesn't mean that he has to succumb to his worst self. Look at Dryden. Do you see how good he has become?"

Hitomi nodded and agreed to do it Chid's way, but there were so many things that she wanted to learn. Was she going to have a happy disposition like Chid when she became the goddess? Would Van eventually die? Would she be able to have children? Hitomi threw these questions at Chid like they were harpoons.

But Chid's temperament always turned her darts into flower petals. He was as patient as an old man as he explained what he knew to her. "It's not possible for you to be cheerful like me," he said gently. "I don't think it makes sense for you to have my disposition. It's important that you know sorrow. You must experience all emotions if you are going to empathize with those we judge together. But I can promise you one thing; you will not feel sorrow over those who end up condemned. You will be spared that sorrow. I carry that alone. Do you feel sad about what happened to Dornkirk?"

"No," Hitomi admitted.

"That's because you understand that he was beyond your love, but he wasn't beyond mine. In many ways, I'm like a farmer who finds one of his precious animals has hurt itself in a trap meant for wolves. I can't free the animal, so I must kill it, and stop its pain."

Hitomi understood. Chid's burden was great indeed. "What about the other things?" she asked quietly.

"Will Van die? Maybe."

"Maybe?" Hitomi squawked.

"Tarot users who have mythical creatures as their symbol have a role of their own. Van probably didn't have a role until he met you, and now he's your protector. There may be some angry Tarot users who will be angry enough that they'll try to kill you," Chid explained.

"People have tried to kill you before?" Hitomi asked nervously. She was getting goose bumps up her arms.

"Certainly. If they kill me then they can't be judged. But please, don't be worried about me. In that situation, I am perfectly safe, because at the moment of impact I judge them and end it. Things are different for you."

"I can't become a murderer," Hitomi said, quickly understanding what he meant.

"No, you cannot. If you kill someone, you will immediately lose your godhood and become an ordinary person," Chid said gravely.

"I could be a normal woman and have children?" Hitomi asked sadly. It seemed too cruel that her only surefire way to motherhood was to take the life of someone.

Chid drew his eyebrows together sharply. "It wouldn't matter. I dirty my hands partly for your sake. Van will dirty his hands for your sake because he _must_ protect you. You mustn't do anything destructive. If you do, I'll kill you myself."

When Hitomi saw the look in Chid's eyes, she finally felt what Van and Dryden must have experienced in his presence. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach in a way she had never known before. Panic was surging through her body. What was she going to do? She had already done something destructive. She had stabbed Miguel and drawn Dilandau's blood.

Chid suddenly laid his hand on hers. "Don't worry about those instances," he reassured her. "They are forgotten. Don't think about them anymore."

Hitomi sighed and allowed herself to relax at his command.

"Let me finish telling you about Van," Chid said warmly as he still held onto her hand. "A mythical creature doesn't have a purpose until they meet a Tarot user who needs them. It's not always a goddess. Usually, it's someone very ordinary. They have to save them. Sometimes, a mythical creature has bound themselves to someone condemned by me. The same thing always happens. If I kill them – the mythical creature dies, too. If you die, Van dies."

"But never the other way around?" Hitomi asked.

"No, but I think Van will probably live as long as you," Chid said cheerfully.

Hitomi didn't see why he was able to be so cheerful. It was unreasonable. Especially since what he was telling her wasn't happy.

"What about the last thing?" she asked nervously.

"Motherhood?" Chid asked stroking his chin.

"Yeah," Hitomi answered flatly.

He shook his head, "I have no children. It's not that I wouldn't want them, but it hasn't been possible."

"So you don't think that it will be possible for me either?" Hitomi cried.

He bit his lip, hesitant to say his opinion. "Dryden told you that you wouldn't be able to have children once you stopped bleeding or something like that?"

Hitomi nodded.

"I don't think those two things are related. I think you were unable to have children as soon as you opened your eyes and saw a moon."

Chid said it gently, but Hitomi still burst into hot tears. Most eighteen-year-old girls probably didn't think about this. They were picking out colleges and working minimum wage jobs. They weren't crying desperately over lost children. Hitomi cried.

Suddenly, Chid grabbed Hitomi by the shoulders and jolted her face up to his. His blue eyes were terrifying as he said assertively, "Listen to me. Don't be confused by your position. Marlene will have children and you will be their aunt. Remember Akira! Remember what her love means to you! You don't have to have children through your body for you to have children. There is so much good you can do in the world for the helpless and the lonely. Not just among Tarot users, but for all mankind. And I do not know the truth about whether or not you will be able to have children. It could go either way. I don't know your future or your destiny."

Hitomi thought about his words as she shaved her legs. She had managed to finish the right leg without cutting herself.

Chid said that he didn't know her future, but he wanted to cheer her on. Hitomi decided not to think about it.

She would just wait for her period. She stood there counting the days. She couldn't even remember when her last period was anymore. Before she and Van boarded the ship she had thoughtfully bought a pregnancy test. Actually, she had bought six. Hitomi decided to quickly finish up her left leg, rinse and then take out one of the packages and give it a try. She was probably the only eighteen-year-old in the world who wanted to be pregnant. Nothing was precious until it was withheld.

When she started working on the knee of her left leg, the boat bumped hard and the razor slipped. Hitomi winced in pain. She finally did cut herself. When Hitomi looked down she expected to see a trickle of blood dripping down in her leg, but there was only wetness and leftover shaving foam. What was going on? The cut had felt deep. Hitomi rinsed off her leg in order to get a better look at the gash. Had she already stopped bleeding? Chid said that he thought that it would be soon, but this soon? She and Van hadn't even been out to sea for a month.

Hitomi looked at the cut. It was in the shape of a 'V' and it was deep. It should have bled, but there was nothing. It was dark red under her tanned skin, but not a drop of blood escaped her body. It had finally happened. She had a cut that did not bleed – the mark of a goddess.

Hitomi sat stupefied for a moment.

When she finally pulled herself together she got moving and grabbed one of her pregnancy tests. It was about time this was settled. There could be a reason why she wasn't bleeding. Maybe it wasn't a deep enough cut. Maybe there was the slightest layer of tissue that was stopping her. Besides, if she really had become the goddess then there was no need to keep these tests around. They were useless to a woman who could never conceive.

Hitomi read the instructions on the back of the box. Thank goodness they were simple; she didn't have a mind for heavy reading. She unwrapped the plastic tube and went to the toilet.

Five minutes later she was still staring at the clock. She didn't have the nerve to see what the results of the test were and she didn't have the courage to cut herself deeply to see if it was true that she couldn't bleed.

She was huddled in a corner of the bathroom rocking back and forth when Van found her.

"Hitomi, are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't know," she said miserably. She was far too tense to look at the test. "I cut myself."

"Are you hurt?" he asked, getting down on his knees in front of her and looking her over frantically.

Hitomi stretched out her knee and showed him the wound.

He saw the mark and touched it with his fingers. "Let me take you to the bedroom," he suggested, putting his arms around her.

At this moment, Hitomi suddenly seized on an idea. "Van, look at the test for me."

"What test?"

"I took a pregnancy test just now. It's on the vanity. I'm too scared to look at it. What if it's negative? Please Van," Hitomi asked, as her eyes filled to their brims with real tears. "Please Van."

Van sighed. He got up and picked up the test and then the cardboard box that contained the instructions on how to read it.

"What does it say?" Hitomi asked with her hands over her eyes. She couldn't see Van and his reaction then.

Van didn't answer her.

"What does it say?" Hitomi asked again, gaining courage and taking her hands away from her eyes.

Van's chin was tilted thoughtfully. Finally he said softly, "It says that Dragon's are lucky, little goddess."

**The End**

* * *

Author's Notes: I'd like to say a very warm thank you to my beta reader Kaytala for reading this far with me and to everyone who has read this to the end. If you have not reviewed yet, please review now if only to say that you enjoyed it enough to read this far. If you have any questions, please feel free to go to the 'Mark of a Goddess' forum and make comments. I will answer all questions because there won't be a fourth book. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

My new big project is a fantasy novel on fictionpress called 'Ghost Mist'. The first few chapters have been released. Thanks!


End file.
